No Hiding Place
by GingerCat17
Summary: After the war is over everybody just wants to put their lives back together and move on into a bright future. Only Hermione is held back by a single moment that keeps hunting her. She sets out to find answers, so she can bury the past. Little does she know she will only bring someone else's past back to life. Rated M for a reason. No extra warnings before the chapters in question.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! This is going to be my first story ever, so please, please review and let me know what you think.

* * *

 _We may still have time, we might still get by_

 _Every time I think about it, I wanna cry_

 _With bombs and the devil and the kids keep coming_

 _No way to breathe easy, no time to be young_

 _(Crazy on you – Heart)_

Her eyes were fixed on the wooden ceiling above her. The smell of fresh baked eggs had been creeping up into her room for a solid ten minutes, now, but she hadn't bothered to get up. She didn't feel like moving. She didn't feel like getting ready. She didn't feel like going downstairs and eating. She hadn't really felt like doing anything lately. The war had been decided a couple of months ago and life could finally go back to normal. But it didn't. She had been really looking forward to it. A normal life. It wasn't until about four weeks after the war, when the castle had mostly been rebuilt and the dead had been buried, that she realized she didn't even know what a normal life was. She hadn't had one since the day she entered Hogwarts. For seven years she had been on a journey to save wizarding Britain. Voldemort was dead and this time it was for good. There were no more Horcruxes, no more hidden tricks. It was over. And now, she didn't know what to do with herself.

"Hermione? Breakfast's ready, love." She decided to get up at that. There was no use in trying to ignore Mrs. Weasly. She payed the bathroom a quick visit and headed downstairs.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasly", she greeted the witch as she sat down at the kitchen table.

The matriarch turned towards her with a serious look on her face that was quickly followed by a warm smile as Hermione corrected herself. "Good morning, Molly", she chuckled a bit.

She had been living at the Burrow since the war was over and Mrs. Weasly had insisted to be on a first-name basis. After everything they've been through together, Hermione was part of the family, she argued. Hermione wasn't sure if she shared the sentiment. Her relationship with Ron was rather complicated at the moment. Well, there was no relationship, really. She tried to explain to him again and again that she'd been too shocked to react when he had kissed her at the final battle. That she didn't harbor any romantic feelings for him, but Ron had a hard time accepting that and kept telling himself that there must be something. It made the whole atmosphere at the Burrow quite tense. But Hermione tried to push these thoughts aside as she indulged on her breakfast.

The boys were already out for work, so it would be peacefully quiet at the Burrow until the late afternoon. They didn't go back to school after the war. The Ministry's Department of Magical Education decided that defeating the darkest wizard of all times was sort of enough proof of their magical capabilities and they didn't have to finish their seventh year, unless they wanted to. Strangely enough, Hermione didn't. She'd always loved to learn, but going back to Hogwarts just didn't feel right anymore.

They were all asked to join the Ministry's Auror training, but only Ron accepted. Mr. and Mrs. Weasly opened their finest bottle of Firewhisky that day. They were incredibly proud. Hermione was incredibly shocked. She was sure that Ron held a lot of talents that just hadn't been revealed yet, but she was certain that a cool head, strategic planning and courage weren't among them. She and Harry both declined. The adventures of the last years were enough for a lifetime. Harry knew pretty soon what he wanted to do with his future. He was among the first wizards and witches to study to become a lawyer. The idea that defendants should be represented by a lawyer was relatively new in the wizarding world. With everything that happened in the years leading up to the war the Ministry realized that it was time for a more complex and fairer criminal justice system. Hermione was sure this job would be perfect for her friend. Harry's sense of justice never ceased after the war. Being a lawyer would give him the opportunity to still fight for the right, just without the possibility of getting killed while doing so.

Only Hermione hadn't decided what she wanted to do, yet. Always being the most ambitious one of the three, it probably came as a bit of a surprise to everyone, but they were kind enough not to bother her with it. That also meant that conversations were almost non-existent when she was alone with Mrs. Weasly during the day. Since she didn't do anything, she didn't have anything to talk about. Well, that was not exactly true, Hermione thought as she finished up her breakfast in silence.

She went back upstairs and slumped into her bed. As she looked across the fields surrounding the Burrow she couldn't help but think about that one moment that had been hunting her for months.

 _Due to all the chaos happening around her Hermione didn't see who the attacker was and she didn't care. She just wanted to get back at him or her. She ran across the grass like she was in a trance, following the attacker down the hill, closer and closer to the Forbidden Forest. While her body seemed to move of its own accord, her heart was pounding and her mind was racing. She was confused by her own actions. This wasn't like her. She wasn't used to the feeling that was taking over her. Revenge. She just wanted revenge for her friend. No, Luna wasn't the only one who had been severely injured tonight. But everybody has a tipping point and Hermione's was reached when she saw the sweetest and kindest girl she knew laying unconsciously and bleeding on the ground._

 _Now that she had almost reached the attacker she pointed her wand at them, her lips ready to say a spell she had never used before, when all of a sudden the attacker stopped and turned around. Their wands were now directed at each other._

 _Hermione froze at the sight. She was looking at the most arrogant smirk she had ever seen on someone. She was facing Bellatrix Lestrange._

 _The spell that was about to leave her mouth just a few seconds ago had vanished. Hermione had been so full of rage that it didn't cross her mind for a split second that she could be chasing the most skilled death eater of these days. It certainly wasn't the first time she had had to deal with her, but this was different. She had been following the deatheater so thoughtlessly, it was only now that she realized she had moved quite far away from the castle. The screams of the fights happening at the castle were only a mild noise down here._

 _Hermione wasn't sure what to do. She was easily among the smartest witches of her age, but that also meant she was smart enough not to underestimate one Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione was going back and forth between the options she had: Should she wait for the death eater's move or should she dare to attack first?_

 _Their gazes were crossing each other's. These black eyes that were filled with anger and an intense kind of passion at the same time made Hermione shiver. But there was also something else in them. She couldn't quite figure out what it was. A strange kind of tension spread out between the two women. Before Hermione could decide what the next move would be, Bellatrix made that decision for her. A silent Stunner took Hermione by surprise and sent her flying backwards. She quickly got back up, expecting another spell. But all she saw was a muscular black panther running into the depths of the forest._

Hermione took a deep breath. This memory kept playing over and over in her head. The moment she realized whom she had followed, she was sure the situation would end badly. Lestrange would either crucio her to death or just kill her right away. But she didn't.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

 **A/N:** Thanks so much for the follows! I'm very excited about this story and happy to see that someone's interested in it. So, here's the second chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 _No hay más vida, no hay_

 _No hay más vida, no hay_

 _No hay más rabia, no hay_

 _No hay más sueño, no hay*_

 _(La Despedida – Shakira)_

It was already late in the evening. Hermione went to her room quickly after dinner to escape the busy chatter in the kitchen. Ron and Harry were still talking about their day at work like every night. They seemed to be really excited about the new path they had chosen. Hermione never paid much attention to their stories. She couldn't focus on anything for too long before those dark eyes infiltrated her mind again. Those eyes that didn't give her any answers and never would. Bellatrix Lestrange was dead. At some point Lestrange must have returned to the castle and joined the fight again before she was killed by Mrs. Weasly.

Hermione was pacing up and down in her room. This was so frustrating. She desperately wanted to know why the dark witch had spared her. The worst part was that she couldn't tell anybody about it. They would tell her to just be happy she survived that encounter and move on with her life. And that would probably be the best thing to do, but something just didn't sit right with her. She would feel better if Lestrange had attacked her, thrown a Crucio at her or even tortured her again with that bloody dagger. That she could have handled, but not this. Why hadn't the death eater attacked her? Lestrange wasn't exactly known to hesitate when the opportunity of torture lay at her feet. Although Hermione didn't go back to Hogwarts after the war, she was still as thirsty for knowledge as ever. She knew she would not be able to move on until she got some answers. It was time to act.

"Kreacher?", she called out.

Just a few seconds and the small elf appeared out of thin air. "Miss … er … Hermione has called for Kreacher?" He eyed her suspiciously.

Since Harry barely stayed at Grimmauld Place and spent most of his days at the Burrow, the elf was sort of underemployed. So he had taught Kreacher to attend to her and Ron just as much. Hermione didn't call for him often though. The elf was still very uncomfortable around her. It took them an entire month to stop him from calling her "Miss Mudblood". But this time she really needed his help.

"Kreacher, you can pass any Anti-Apparition wards, right?"

"Of course I can!", the little creature shrieked as if it was offending to even ask such a question.

"Perfect." Hermione grabbed her enchanted bag and held on to Kreacher's arm. "I need you to take me to Malfoy Manor."

With a small _pop_ , Hermione found herself in a dark cellar. It was freezing cold and wet. She decided to get right to the task before she started to think too much about what she was about to do. She took the Invisibility Cloak, that she stole from Harry, out of her bag.

"Please be ready to get me out of here, just in case anything goes wrong, will you?", she addressed Kreacher before she vanished underneath the cloak. Pointing her wand at the metal door, she tried a simple Alohomora. To her surprise it worked. As the victims who were thrown into this cellar were mostly close to death and wandless anyway, there was no need for more complex protection, she guessed.

Slowly Hermione went up the stone staircase and entered the large room that held so many horrible memories. This was the very room her torture had taken place. The very wooden floor onto which she had been thrown. On particularly bad days, she would still feel the weight of Lestrange on top of her, holding her down, while the dark witch branded her with the slur that will forever tell of her blood status to anyone that laid eyes on her arm. Obviously she had tried to make the scars go away with a healing charm, but they wouldn't fade. She had even been back to Hogwarts to let the school's new Headmistress deal with it. But even Minerva had been unsuccessful. Hermione smiled at the thought of the old witch. During the reconstruction of the castle Harry, Ron and herself spent a lot of time with the Headmistress and bonded greatly. It seemed, though, the Scottish witch was particularly fond of Hermione. They had been on a first-name basis soon. She knew the Headmistress was hoping for her to become a teacher at Hogwarts. The girl who had been the brains of the Golden Trio would make an excellent addition to her staff. The former Head of Gryffindor had even made it clear that she intended for Hermione to become Deputy Headmistress eventually. But Hermione was trying to delay her response to the offer. Although it was a very tempting one and she would highly enjoy working with the intelligent witch. Every time Hermione was back at the school, she felt a certain melancholy. So many lives had been sacrificed there, so much innocence lost. She wasn't ready to go back to Hogwarts for good. But she made sure to pay her former mentor regular visits and deepen their relationship. Although it felt still somewhat strange, Hermione was happy to call her a friend. With positive thoughts of Minerva in her heart, she felt encouraged enough to step further into the room.

As she scanned the place, she was relieved to see that it looked quite different now. Apparently, she wasn't the only one for whom the room held bad memories. The entire room had been re-arranged. The walls were hung with colossal portraits of the three Malfoys. Each one of them was staring at potential viewers with a look void of any emotion but superiority. The frames were a dark emerald green. There was a large dark table in the middle of the room, decorated with nothing but simple white candles that were neatly placed in one line. Yeah, Hermione thought to herself, that would be Madam Malfoy's room still had a cold touch to it, but the fact that it looked different now made it less scary.

She heard voices coming from behind a door on the right side of the far end of the room. Carefully, Hermione continued her way across the room and towards the door. She pressed herself into the corner between the door and the window, trying to get a look into the room. Her breath stopped for a second at the sight. There, in what seemed to be the living room, sat Narcissa Malfoy on a black leather sofa. She was looking up at a wild nest of black curls. Hermione's heart was beating three times as fast as it should be. It was out of question whom they belonged to. No other witch had hair like that. But Bellatrix Lestrange should be dead. Mrs. Weasly killed her. Hermione had seen it with her own eyes. The matriarch had done what Hermione hadn't been able to do. Although she came here to find answers to her questions regarding Lestrange, this was definitely not what she had hoped to find. But being the eager student that she was, she took a chance to gain knowledge when she saw it. She tried to focus on the conversation between the two women and listened closely. She could make out Narcissa speaking:

"Bellatrix, the war has been hard on all of us. All I am saying is that Lucius, Draco and I need some family time. Please understand.", the youngest Black sister spoke calmly.

"Oh, I understand perfectly well, sister dear.", the dark witch snorted. "You're kicking me out of the house."

"I would not quite put it that way, but you must admit the atmosphere between Lucius and yourself is rather tense. I would like to have a sense of peace to re-enter my home. You take every little chance to start a fight with my husband and I do not appreciate it, Bellatrix."

"What do you expect me to do, sweetheart?", Bellatrix sang innocently. "It is not my fault you got yourself that joke of a man. He just calls for humiliation. His mere presence is a provocation."

Narcissa Malfoy took a deep breath. She was known to be the embodiment of self-restraint, but even she struggled to stay calm when her family was being insulted. However, she had no interest in enraging her sister any further, so she continued in a calm voice: "You cannot keep walking around this house and throw insults at my husband. I think it would do you good to find a new purpose in life. A sort of occupation, if you will."

"And what exactly do you suggest that would be?", the dark witch yelled. She was now leaned over her sister, only inches away from her face. "It's not like I can just apply for any job, now is it Cissy? It's a fucking joke. I'm the most skilled witch in this country, yet, I wouldn't even be hired to clean the public bathrooms."

Well, my love, you had that coming given your curriculum vitae, Narcissa thought, but found it wise to keep that thought to herself. "Well, you cannot be seen in public anyway. But you could dedicate yourself to some household work. You might find it quite calming."

"I'm not shallow enough to find satisfaction in that sort of life, my dear sis. And who gives a shit what that house looks like, anyway." Bellatrix was now pacing up and down in front of her sister.

"I am by no means shallow, Bellatrix, and neither is the life I am leading. But what would you know about family life. Maybe, if you had children of your own, you would see that …"

"Oh for Salazar's sake, Cissa, spare me with that nonsense."

Hermione stood still in her corner. She felt like she was being witness to a bad movie scene. The thought of the death eater as a mother was ridiculous. No one in their right mind would advise Bellatrix Lestrange to have a child. Madam Malfoy seemed to think otherwise and continued her persuasion:

"Why is that nonsense? Remember how good you were with Draco when he was little? You might still have time, Bella!"

"Oh come off it, Cissy. You know I've never had the desire to be a mother."

"Very well. But nevertheless, with Rodolphus gone you could be with someone you might have more of a connection with. I am in the knowledge of the whereabouts of most of the remaining death eaters. I could get in touch with them."

Bellatrix let out a deep grunt. "You sound like mother thirty years ago when she was trying to auction me off to the highest bidder."

"What is so wrong about my suggestion, Bella? I am sure we could find a nice man among them."

Narcissa stared into her sister's back who had walked over to the window, looking out on the grand grounds of Malfoy Manor. She seemed to be waiting for a response to her suggestion. So was Hermione. She was fascinated by the conversation between the two sisters. To hear them talk about such trivial things as future jobs, household responsibilities and relationships was extremely surreal, but entertaining at the same time. The young witch had to hold back a giggle. She could almost see how Mrs. Malfoy was going through a mental list of suitable candidates for her sister.

When Bellatrix had remained silent for several minutes, Narcissa cleared her throat and spoke hesitantly: "Or … I suppose … we could also …"

"Shut it!" In a second Bellatrix had turned around and screamed at her sister in fury. The blonde lady swallowed hard. She was used to the sudden outbursts of her sister and usually wasn't afraid of them. However, she had a feeling she was walking on very thin ice here. She decided to drop the topic for now.

"Fine. It is obviously up to you.", Narcissa gave in and decided to end the discussion for today.

Bellatrix was still enraged. Her breathing was so heavy Hermione could see her chest pressing against the restraints of her black corset. Her arms seemed to be stiff at her side with her fists clenched. The dark witch was apparently trying to control herself. Without uttering another word she walked pass her sister and stepped into the fireplace, grapping a handful of floo powder. Standing tall and proud, she exclaimed in a strong voice "Black Manor".

* * *

* Translation: There's no more life, there's none. There's no more life, there's none. There's no more rage, there's none. There's more dream, there's none.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still not mine.

* * *

 _Well I know that I'm not fair_

' _Cause I want more and I don't care_

 _Come and face me if you dare_

 _Yes I know that I won't fail_

 _(Ego – The Kelly Family)_

A very black Manor was illuminated by nothing but orange lights. Bellatrix was throwing Confringos at everything her mother had put up to decorate the house. Everything that old hag had bought looked terrible anyway. It wasn't too long until insults were echoing through the Manor. The black witch stormed down the corridor and came to halt at the top of the grand staircase that led down to the entrance hall.

"Bellatrix Lestrange! How dare you throw such a tantrum in my house!"

Bellatrix let out a deep chuckle. "Oh dear mother", she spat, "I haven't even started." With quick move of her wand she let lose a stream of Fiendfyre. The fiery dragon made its way down the stairs towards the portrait about the fire place, eliminating everything that stood in its way. The image of Druella Black ran off screaming just before her portrait dissolved into thin air.

Ashes were falling off the wall as a weight was falling off Bellatrix' shoulders. She looked up at the wall. It was gone. The portrait was finally gone. The bitch probably ran off to her portrait in France, she thought. She didn't really care. She hadn't been at their French family estate in years, anyway. She looked around at the chaos she had created once again. Splinters of wood from the things she had blown up were scattered around. She would need new furniture soon. Otherwise there would be nothing to destroy the next time she had one of her outbursts. But that would be sorted out another time. She lay down in front of the fire place, pressing her cheek onto the cold stone floor, closed her eyes and drifted into the silence that filled HER house.

In a much simpler home a much younger witch was about to lose her mind. "Oh no. Good Godric, Rowena, Helga and Salazar. This has got to be a bad joke.", Hermione muttered. She slumped down onto her bed and rested her head in her hands.

"Mh, Miss Hermione? Can Kreacher do anything for Miss Hermione?", a high voice asked.

"No, that will be all. Thank you, Kreacher. You can go back to Grimmauld Place" With a _pop_ the elf was gone and Hermione was left with more confusion and questions than before. The fact that the death eater had somehow risen from the dead wasn't even the most confusing thing. Voldemort had done it, even Harry had done it, so why not Lestrange? The more important question was why she'd done it. Was she planning something in the underground? The fact that Voldemort was dead didn't automatically mean that his ideology was, too. The Malfoys were still around and Narcissa said she knew about some remaining death eaters. And who would be more suitable to lead them than Voldemort's most faithful lieutenant? Now, Hermione had even more reasons to continue her investigations. She hoped she would be wrong though. She really didn't need another war.

As Hermione lay in her bed she wondered how to go about this. The most reasonable thing to do would be to talk to Harry about it or even Ron since he was part of the Auror Office now. She should tell them everything she had heard. They would plan a raid and take out Lestrange and the Malfoys safely. They would probably also throw them into Azkaban. And she would never get the answers she was looking for. In her heart, she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to go to Black Manor. The only way to find out what was really going on was to confront Lestrange herself. Of course, that was outright crazy. She would need some kind of backup and she already had an idea who that could be.

The next morning Hermione rose before the sun was up. She moved through the house on tiptoes, careful not to wake anyone. She grapped a couple of cookies from the jar in the kitchen and left. Outside she took a good look at this house that had been her home for the past months and prayed this wouldn't be the last time she saw it. She apparated right into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Minerva had lifted the Anti-Apparition wards for a very elusive group of people and Hermione was proud to say she was one of them. Without wasting any time she went straight to the Headmistress' office. The Scottish witch was already awaiting her. The door opened before she could even knock.

"Minerva, these Apparition notifications are no fun. I can't even surprise you anymore", she joked as she walked into the office.

"You know I like to be in the loop of everything that happens at this school, dear. Please, have a seat. A cup of Earl Grey as usual?"

"That would be lovely." Hermione made herself comfortable in the chair she had been offered.

Minerva came back with two cups of tea and took a seat behind her desk. "So, I hope you are here to accept my offer?"

"Not quite. I'm sorry" Hermione smiled apologetically. "I need your help with something. But before I say more I need to know that this conversation will remain between the two of us."

The old witch raised an eyebrow at that and simply said "Go on, please."

"Well, there have been some things on my mind lately that I want to sort out. I'll have to go on a … journey of sorts and I need someone to be my backup."

"You are talking in riddles, Hermione."

"I know. I'm sorry but I'm afraid I can't tell you what this is all about. Let's just say I will meet people who might not be too happy to see me. I thought I could report to you on a regular basis and if I don't, well, you'll know things went wrong."

Minerva studied her for what felt like an eternity. "You are a very intelligent and skilled witch, Hermione. I trust you know what you are doing?"

"I do, Minerva."

"Fine. But how will I know where to look for you in case these 'encountes' go wrong?"

Hermione took a little clock out of her bag and placed in front of Minerva. "It's a portkey. I've enchanted it so it will take you to wherever I am", she explained.

The old witch only nodded. She wasn't at all thrilled about this. But how do you say no to someone who had to endure so much at such a young age?

Hermione got up to hug the other witch. "Thank you, Minerva. I really appreciate it."

"You better leave now before I change my mind", the Headmistress smiled at her former student.

Hermione loosened their embrace and walked to the door. Before she left she turned around once more. "I will be back tomorrow morning. I trust you not to use it before then?"

"I would never betray your trust, Hermione."

And with that the young witch started her mission.

When Hermione had left the castle, she called out for Kreacher. She hated to use him again, but didn't really see any other option. She was sure Black Manor was just as well protected as Malfoy Manor. The little elf appeared within seconds in front of her and looked at her expectantly.

"Kreacher, I hate to bother you again, but could you apparate with me one more time?", Hermione asked.

"But of course! Miss Hermione dosen't bother Kreacher! Where to?"

"Black Manor", she answered and watched as Kreacher's big eyes grew even bigger.

"Kreacher does not want to be impolite, but … er… is Miss absolutely sure?"

Hermione sighed. "I know, I know, it's mental. But I'm sure. You know the property well, right? Is there any place where I wouldn't be seen at first chance?"

Kreacher frowned his non-existing brows for a split second before he spoke. "No one really goes into Mr. and Mrs.' bedroom anymore since they've died."

"The Master bedroom it is then", Hermione said and took Kreacher's bony hand.

As soon as they arrived Hermione pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and put it over both of them. She made a mental note to try to get her hands one of these so she would have her own. They really came in handy. She made a small nod towards Kreacher. The elf understood the silent gesture and was gone. Hermione looked around the room. Thank God Kreacher had been right and there was no one around. In fact the room looked like it hadn't been touched in decades. Two small plates were standing on the bedside table. They were covered in mould. The smell was sickening. Dust was all over the furniture; even the bedsheets were covered in it. She needed to get out of here before her breakfast would greet the day again. Carefully she turned the door handle and left the room. After looking left and right, she was happy to see she was alone. She continued down the corridor, keeping close to the wall, until she reached the grand staircase that led to the entrance hall. She couldn't believe her own eyes. There, in the middle of a furniture massacre, lay Bellatrix Lestrange, fast asleep. She didn't even want to know how this happened. But she was happy about the sleeping part. Not wanting to push her luck, she decided to leave Lestrange for now and walked into the corridor on the right side of the grand staircase. What she didn't notice was the small gray cat that had been following her since she left the master bedroom.

Hermione walked through the corridor taking in everything; from the pattern of the dark wallpaper to the crystals on the lamps. She stopped at the door in the middle. It had a "B" engraved in it. Strike, she thought, that might be Lestrange's bedroom. A claustrophobic feeling creeped into her chest as she walked in. The room looked just as chaotic as the rest of the house. It was chunk full with things that looked like they had been untouched for ages. Naturally, the first thing Hermione noticed was the big pile of books on the floor next to the bed. What did someone like Lestrange read? Could she even sit still long enough to actually finish a book? The bed itself had black sheets, of course, and a curtain around it. The walls were painted in dark red. Hermione couldn't make out any lamps, rather, black candles were placed all over the room. Some on the bedside table, some even on the floor and some on the desk at the end of the room. Most of them were burned down; only a few still held a flame, just enough for Hermione to see where she was going. As she walked over to the desk she wondered how anyone could live, let alone sleep, in here. It was depressing. She took one of the perfume bottles that were lined up on the desk and smelled it. She smiled. Cinnamon. She tried another one. The scent of red wine filled her nose. Careful not to make any sound she opened one of the drawers.

As she studied the content she felt a stream of air brushing against her neck. "Looking for something, dearie?", a low voice whispered behind her.

Shit. Only ten minutes into her mission and things already went down the drain. Hermione didn't dare to move. She barely dared to breathe. All of a sudden the Invisibility Cloak was flying off her. She spun around quickly, wand at the ready, only to see Lestrange was just as prepared to fight as she was.

The death eater's eyes grew wide for a second. "And they say I'm mad", she whispered. "How did you get here? HOW?"

"Elf", was the only thing Hermione managed to say.

Lestrange rolled her eyes. "These damn creatures. And why exactly are you here, searching through my things?"

"You didn't kill me at the final battle."

"And so you thought you'd stop by and give me another chance? I could end your life in a second", the dark witch threatened as she stepped closer towards Hermione.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"No? And why is that? It's been so long since I killed someone, you know. Might be fun."

Hermione swallowed, but tried to keep eye contact with the dark witch. "Fine. But if you kill me that equals suicide. The Auror Office will be notified, take you out and send you on a one-way ticket to Azkaban."

Lestrange lowered her wand a bit. Hermione let slip the one word that could frighten her. Azkaban.

"Am I supposed to fall for that?", the death eater tested her.

"I defeated your master. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to come here without any form of protaction?"

Lestrange crossed her arms and gave a display of her signature pout. "What do you want?"

"I have questions and I want you to answer them. That's all."

In that moment Hermione was happy that looks alone couldn't kill because the older witch was staring at her like that's exactly what she wanted to do.

Without saying a word Lestrange turned around and stormed out of the room. The young witch was left bewildered. Was that a yes?

"Well come on then, Granger!", Lestrange's voice echoed through the house and Hermione quickly followed her downstairs. She hadn't seen where she had gone, but heard some noise emanating from the kitchen. As she walked in she was confronted with a most peculiar sight. The death eater was making coffee. She sat down at the table with one cup in her hand and placed the another one in front of Hermione.

"What's that?", asked the cofused witch.

"It's coffee. I thought a mudblood like yourself would know that."

"And I thought a racist like yourself wouldn't drink our beverages."

"Careful, girlie, careful.", the dark witch growled. She threw a little bag at Hermione that the girl almost didn't catch. It was full of Galleons. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to go shopping for me. As you may have noticed I'm a little low on furniture."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you want answers. You do something for me, I'll answer a question."

Hermione couldn't believe it. For someone with a criminal record like hers that woman had a lot of nerve to make any demands. "You know I could send your ass straight to Azkaban, right?", she reminded her.

"You could, I suppose. But then you would never get any answers to those question that are torturing your young mind", Bellatrix countered with a winner smile on her lips.

Annoyed that she had already lost the upper hand in this game, Hermione put the little bag into the pocket of her jacket and got ready to leave. "How will I get back here?", she asked.

"By elf. Since that seems to be your transport method of choice. Call for Helga when you're done. She's my house elf."

"Helga? That's an unusual name for an elf."

Lestrange shrugged her shoulders. "I'm an unusual witch, wouldn't you agree?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. This was going to be one interesting ride.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! Makes me really happy. So, I have a question for you. As you can see the story is rated M and it's rated that for a reason. I'm debating whether I should put warnings before the chapters with M-rated content. On the one hand I'm not a big fan of that because it gives away some aspects of the chapter, but on the other hand I can understand the point of it. So what do you think?

 **Origin Unknown:** I've written single paragraphs over the years but never one coherent story. So I'm a bit nervous about it. I know where I want the focus of the story to be and I've written down the major "events". Hopefully I'll be able to connect the dots.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Everything belongs to our queen, J.K. Rowling.

* * *

 _Now I don't hardly know her_

 _But I think I could love her_

 _Crimson and Clover_

 _Now when she comes walking over_

 _I've been waiting to show her_

 _Crimson and Clover_

 _(Crimson and Clover – Tommy James and the Shondells)_

Six hours, twenty-four minutes and thirty seconds. That was the time that had passed since the brightest witch of her age had left Black Manor. And bright she was indeed to take her time, Bellatrix thought. She wouldn't return today just to prove she also held power in this game. It might seem like a very stupid and childish way to prove a point but it drove Bellatrix mad. She didn't like to be kept waiting and she wasn't used to it. As the oldest heiress of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and the Dark Lord's right hand people were always quick to follow her every command. But these days were apparently gone.

Bellatrix had spent most of the day sitting on the carpet in front of the fire place. For the most part she just stared at the clock as if it could tell her when the young witch would return. Occasionally she had called for Helga and given her some stupid task that didn't really need to be done. It was just nice to speak to someone. For the last hour she had been reading through her copy of Shakespeare's sonnets. As she turned the pages she thought there was still the scent of lavender on them like there used to be back then. That was completely stupid, of course, she thought as she closed the book. It was only early in the evening but Bellatrix felt tired; whether from this day or just life in general she didn't know anymore. She went upstairs into her bedroom to lie down. Before she closed the curtains she took off her skull necklace and threw it out onto the grounds. With a move of her finger the candles started to burn and filled the room with a soft light. She sat down at the desk and hesitated for a while, tapping her fingers on the old mahogany wood. The drawer of the desk squeaked as she opened it. She took a little black box out of it that she hadn't touched in decades. Her fingers were trembling as she opened it and laid eyes on the piece of jewelry that she had shoved in the farthest corner of the drawer thirty years ago and with that the memories it held. But today, as she put on the clear crystal wand necklace, she hoped it would give her the clarity it was supposed to give.

Dishes, spoons, knifes and pots were rattling all over the kitchen in the Burrow. Mrs. Weasly was making breakfast and Hermione was helping wherever she could. It was quite a task to make breakfast for all the people that were present, even with magic. It was Friday and Ron and Harry had taken a long weekend so it was busier than usual. She wasn't too happy about it. It was always awkward when she and Ron were together in the same room. She avoided it at any possibility, but she simply had to return to the Burrow yesterday. The fact that she had to play along to Bellatrix' little game was bad enough. The least she could do was to keep her waiting for a while. Although, the next moment already made her regret it.

"Morning, Mione. Did you sleep well?", Ron greeted her as he sat down at the table.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks", she responded with the best fake smile she could come up with. How she hated that nickname Ron had given her. She took a seat at the breakfast table just as Harry and Ginny came down to join them. They had that look on their faces that only lovers can manage so early in the morning. Sometimes it made her sick to her stomach. If she was being honest, it was only because she was jealous. She could barely remember the last time she felt that way. Her relationship with Luna seemed like ages ago and had hardly been more than a teenage infatuation. No one had really caught her attention since then and she was getting tired of being alone. A voice got her out of her thoughts.

"You're coming with us, Mione?", Ron asked with toast in his mouth. Clearly seeing the confusion in her face he clarified: "Do you wanna come to Hogsmeade with us? Harry, Ginny and I wanted to go today. Have a drink at the Three Broomsticks like in the good old times; maybe have dinner at a nice place, you know. Like … er… a double date?"

"Ron!", Harry was kicking his friend in the ribs and tried to save the situation. "That's not what he meant, Hermione. We just wanted to spend a nice evening together as friends."

"That's exactly what he meant, Harry. And no, I'm not interested. I wasn't interested yesterday, I'm not interested today and I'm not going to be interested tomorrow. Besides, I have plans for today. So if you will excuse me, I've got to go", Hermione said and got up. She grabbed her stuff and slammed the door. She heard Ron calling her name, but she didn't look back. She needed to get away from this place. Although she had called it home for the last months, it didn't feel like that anymore. Unfortunately, no place felt like home anymore. Of course she used to call her parent's house home, but they had grown more distant the longer she had been at Hogwarts. They were living in such different worlds that it became harder and harder to find common ground. And now they were living a new life in Australia without any memories of their daughter. She also used to call Hogwarts home. But as she walked through the long dark corridors and the many moving staircases she had to admit that it wasn't home anymore either. The feeling of not-belonging was slowly getting to her and had started to make her restless. The visits with Minerva were a nice exception that would counteract those feelings; unfortunately only for a very short time. When she walked into the Headmistess' office she found it empty except for a small white owl that was sitting on the roost where Dumbeldore's phoenix used to sit.

"Make yourself comfortable, Hermione! I'll be right there", Minerva's voice rang through from her private chambers that were attached to her office. Hermione took a seat and as soon as she did so the owl came flying over and landed on her shoulder. Birds weren't exactly her favourite animals. The sharp beak and claws made her a bit nervous, but the white bundle of fluff only snuggled her neck.

"Ah, now if that isn't that one smart owl. She already knows who she's working for", Minerva said as she walked into the office. "This is my private owl. I decided it would be a lot easier if you owled me on a regular basis."

"That's a great idea. Thank you, Minerva!"

"So, how did your first encounter go?"

"Well, I'm here and I'm unharmed", she laughed. "It actually went better than I expected."

"I'm glad to hear that. But I would be even more glad if you told me where you were going."

"Minerva, please, you know I'm not going to tell you."

"You're just as stubborn as you are smart", the old witch sighed. "Did you get the information you were looking for?"

"No, unfortunately not. Actually, I have more questions than I did before. I think it will take a while until I get what I'm looking for", Hermione answered with a little smile on her lips.

Minerva didn't fail to notice that. The young witch was apparently excited to have some sort of task again. She just wished she had chosen a more average one like a study program and a part-time job in a book store. If she would only accept some help. She tried a weak attempt: "In any case, if you should need help, you know you can ask me anytime."

"I know, Minerva. Don't worry too much about me, please. I'll take care of myself."

"Alright. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave now. My next class is waiting. I have a surprise test prepared", she said cheerfully.

"Oh dear, then I'll better get going", Hermione laughed and patted the little owl on the head before she left. "I'll guess I'll be seeing you soon." The owl responded with a little shriek and snuggled her hand as a goodbye gesture.

Diagon Alley was full of its usual busy chatter. Hermione normally didn't like crowded places but it was nice to see the street had gotten its old flair back. Most of the businesses had opened again rather quickly after the war. Now she only had to find out if there was also a furniture shop among them. As she walked down the street she realized that within seven years in the wizarding world she had never been to a wizarding furniture shop. She had only ever stayed at Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place and the Burrow so she actually never had to go furniture shopping for herself. Let alone for a death eater. Would they even have the kind of stuff Lestrange liked? Or, maybe, this wasn't at all the right place to look, she wondered as her gaze went to the passageway that connected Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. Maybe she should go to Borgin and Burkes. That would probably be more Bellatrix' style. Her hand automatically tightened around her wand as shew walked over to the passage. Dark witches and wizards had become a lot more careful since the end of the war and the chance of getting attacked here was very low, but it was a habit that the war had left behind. Just before she was about to enter Knockturn Alley a rather big dark brown owl stopped in midair in front of her. It wasn't any owl she knew. She tried to move around it but the owl followed her every move, remaining right in front of her. So she took the envelope from its beak and read the letter inside:

 _No need for Knockturn Alley. Ikea's fine._

 _P.S. You're gonna have to put it together, though._

 _B._

As soon as Hermione had read the letter it dissolved into black ashes. "You've got to be joking!", she said out loud, which gained her some weird looks from the people walking by. "Are you sure this is for me? You're sure this is from Bellatrix?", she asked the owl that was still in front of her. The impressive animal moved forward with a shriek and started to attack her head, picking at strands of her brown hair. "Alright, alright! I get it. You're definitely Bellatrix' owl", she exclaimed. The message of the letter was clear, so she went to Gringotts to change the bag of Galleons into Muggle money. After that she went through the Leaky Cauldron and out onto Charing Cross Road into the Muggle part of London. It took quite some self-restraint not to go into one of the many book shops, but since she had a job to do she headed straight for Leicester Square Station. For the first time within months she went into a Tube station and took the escalator down to where the trains stopped. She neatly stood in line on the left side of the escalator with all of these Muggles while every now then someone would hurry past them on the right side of the escalator. How she loved the fact that people actually followed the small signs that said "Keep on the left". When she reached the bottom of the station she started to run a bit to catch the train which was about to departure in a minute. The train was chock-full, but she was lucky to get a seat. She absolutely hated having to stand on a train and this was going to be a long ride. While the train kept rolling Hermione's mind wandered back to the note Lestrange had sent her. Why would a pure-blood fanatic want anything from the most common Muggle furniture store there was? How did she even know about the store? The few moments she had spent with the witch the other day had made Hermione more than curious about her. It already seemed that the woman would turn out to be much more of a riddle than Hermione had expected. When she arrived at her destination and left the Tube station she realized that Bellatrix' owl had been following her the entire way. It was flying a couple of meters above her and landed in a tree to wait for her as she entered the store.

Before she started to look for furniture she decided to have lunch quickly in the restaurant at Ikea. As she sat alone at one of the tables with a plate of chips in front of her and the laughter of families around her, she realized how much she missed being in the Muggle world. She loved the wizarding world just as much and she definitely loved being a witch, but this was the world she grew up in. Since she went to Hogwarts she had barely spent time here, except for the holidays and now, with her parents on the other side of the world without any memory of her … None of her friends were particularly interested in the Muggle world. Not even Harry. He had just been happy that he was able to get away from the Dursleys. Maybe she should just go out on her own sometimes, she thought, as she put her tray on the dish rack. As she walked through the many aisles she tried to pick out the most elegant furniture she could find so that it would fit at least somewhat into the style of Black Manor. What was Bellatrix thinking when she decided she wanted to get furniture from here? Hermione was sure the end result would look horrible. When she reached the most dangerous, because most tempting, area of the store, the market hall, she had convinced two employees to help her because there was no way she could move all of this stuff on her own. She tried her best to ignore most of the pieces in the market hall, but she simply had to stop at the scented candles. She put a pair of vanilla scented ones into the shopping trolley. The smell of vanilla had always been very calming to her. The last thing on her list was a plant. Maybe something living would actually bring some life into the house. She decided to get a variety of cactuses. They suited Bellatrix. After she had payed she and the two employees moved everything outside.

"Alright, guys, thank you so much for helping me. I could have never done it alone", she smiled at the two and hoped they would get the clue that their work was done.

"Should we get this into your car for you? It's no problem, Miss!", one of them smiled back just a little too friendly.

"Oh, that's really kind of you, but my boyfriend will be picking me up any minute. I can't wait to fill our first apartment with all of this", Hermione beamed and watched as his face fell.

"Ah, that's … erm … really exiciting, he? Well, have great day then, Miss."

As soon as the men had gone back into the store, she pulled the shopping cards into a nearby corner, one by one. She shrunk all the items and put them into a bag. As if Lestrange's owl could read her mind, he came over to her and took the bag in its beak. "I think you know where to take this, don't you?", Hermione asked and the owl immediately took off. She didn't follow immediately. Instead she wandered the streets a bit enjoying her time in this part of London. After she had done some window shopping, she decided it was time to return to Black Manor. She walked into a nearby park and went into a group of bushes. When she was sure that she couldn't be seen, she exclaimed "Helga!". She felt completely stupid calling for an elf she had never seen before. Several seconds passed but nothing happened. So she said the name again. This was curious. Elves usually apparated within one or two seconds. When Helga actually did appear, Hermione knew why she hadn't shown up so quickly. Helga was by far the oldest elf she had ever seen. She figured that even Apparition went slower in age.

"Well hello", she said awkwardly, "I'm Hermione."

"Helga knows. Mistress has told Helga to take Miss Hermione to the Manor", the elf said and held out her hand. Hermione took it and was tugged right out of Muggle London.

She arrived right in the entrance hall of Black Manor. Although, she almost didn't recognize it. The stone floor had been replaced with a wooden floor, the dark tapestry was now a light grey. Still not exactly cheerful and warm, Hermione thought, but this would at least work with the furniture she got. The clicking of heavy boots announced the lady of the house.

"You're late", Bellatrix said angrily.

"Am I? I don't recall that we set a time and date for my return", Hermione responded unimpressed.

The hand of the older woman twitched around her wand, but the only thing she said was, "You better get to work if you want to get to ask a question today." Then she walked off.

Hermione looked around and found the pile of shrunken furniture she had sent over. She transformed them back into their original size and unpacked them. A look at the instructions made her sigh. But she found out that putting it together was actually quite easy when you could use magic. She admired the finished result. The furniture blended in well with the floor and the walls. She wondered if Bellatrix would like it. She hadn't seen her the entire afternoon. Helga, however, had walked in every now and then, eyed her suspiciously, and left again. She figured the elf had been ordered to check in on her, because only a few minutes after she had built everything together, Bellatrix came in. Not paying the new look of her house any attention, she stopped right in front of Hermione and looked her up and down. With an overdramatic sniff off her nose she said, "Seems you are not used to hard work. You need a bath." She turned and walked up the grand staircase. "Follow me, Granger!" Although Hermione was quite offended, she actually really liked a bath and followed the dark woman into the bathroom.

It was probably the biggest bathroom she had ever seen. The one at the Burrow was nothing in comparison. It had large windows that went all the way down to the floor. They were like a mosaic of diverse coloured pieces, so they let in the light but shielded you from outside looks at the same time. An entire wall was covered by a shelf that held all different kinds of lotions, make-up, including Bellatrix' dark red lipstick, and more perfume bottles. A large bathtub was placed in the middle of the room. As she stepped towards it, she saw that the water was mixed with a red liquid. "What is that?", she asked.

Bellatrix was leaning against the doorframe and answered, "It's blood", her mouth forming into a smirk.

"What?! Who?! Who … did you …"

"Calm your tits, girl. I didn't kill anybody. It's my blood. Now get in."

"No, I won't", Hermione said and was about to leave the bathroom when Bellatrix blocked the way.

"I told you to get in there and you will do as I say", she whispered through gritted teeth.

"No way. I'm not gonna take a bath in your blood. What kind of perverted fetish ….", but before Hermione could finish the sentence she was lifted up in the air. Bellatrix moved her over to the bathtub and, with surprising softness, let her down. She tried to get out of the bathtub, but Bellatrix had already rushed over to her side. She gripped Hermione's left arm, pulled back the sleeve of her sweater and pressed it down onto the edge of the bathtub. From underneath her skirt she pulled out that dagger. When Hermione realized what the other witch was about to do she started to scream. She tried to free herself but there was no escaping the tight grip on her wrist. Bellatrix slammed the knife into the young witch's skin, right where she had created that degrading scar so many months ago. Hermione's screams reached a heartbreaking tone, but she payed them no attention. She followed every inch of the scar with precision, blood dripping down on her dress. When she had cut every letter open again she pressed Hermione's arm into the water, holding it down firmly. The wounds stung like crazy when they came into contact with the water. Hermione was now close to tears. She was so stupid. She should have known that something like this was going to happen. "Let me go", she begged the other witch, "please, just let me go." But Bellatrix' grip only tightened and her eyes stared intensely into those of the younger witch. Slowly, as pure and impure blood mixed more and more, Hermione felt the pain decrease until a warm, rather nice, tingling spread in her arm. Surprised, she gave Bellatrix a questioning look, but the other witch gave nothing away. As Hermione studied her face, she realized how beautiful the woman was. Big dark brown eyes decorated with thick black lashes, full red lips on flawless porcelain skin, thick black curls framing the masterpiece. She was so mesmerized by the new beauty she had discovered that a slight feeling of disappointment filled her when Bellatrix let go of her arm and left. Completely bewildered by what just happened Hermione slowly got out of the bathtub and took off her clothes that were completely drenched. All the while she was careful not to look at her arm. She was afraid to see what the dark witch had done to it. She used a drying charm on herself and put on the pair of jeans and the dark blue T-Shirt she had kept in her enchanted bag. When she was done, she peeked down to her left arm, only to see that there was nothing to see. The scar was gone.

Hermione wandered through the Manor to look for Bellatrix. The other witch was extremely good at hiding herself. Again, there was no noise that hinted at where she might be. She walked downstairs into the kitchen and saw Helga preparing a small tray with two glasses of red wine and some cherries. "Helga, do you know where Bellatrix is?", she asked the elf.

"Mistress is in the study on the third floor", the elf replied.

"There's a third floor? How do I get there?", Hermione asked surprised. She had not seen any staircase that might lead to a third floor.

"Miss can follow Helga. Helga is supposed to bring this to Mistress Bellatrix", she said and took the tray in her little hands.

Helga went out of the kitchen and through a small door that was right next to it. Hermione would have thought it to be the box room, but there was only a small staircase in there. She followed Helga up the staircase, which seemed to go on forever, until they indeed reached the third floor. They went down the corridor for a while and Hermione could already see light coming from underneath one of the doors. Helga stepped into the room and put the tablet down on a table. She bowed deeply and said "Helga has brought Mistress her snack."

"Thank you, Helga", Bellatrix replied, "that will be all for today."

Helga left the room and Hermione was still standing in the door frame, unsure what to do. Bellatrix had gone back to reading whatever book she was reading and payed her no attention. Hermione noticed that she had changed into a very simple black dress. It had long sleeves, was tight around her torso and waist while the lower part fell loosely around her legs. Maybe that was her version of a leisure suit, Hermione thought. Slowly she walked over and sat down on the sofa opposite Bellatrix. The other woman had removed her makeup which did not lessen her beauty. In contrast, Hermione thought it made her look a lot softer and quite pretty. Only now she noticed that she was no longer wearing her signature skull necklace, but a simple crystal wand necklace.

"Are you happy with your knew furniture?", Hermione tried to break the silence and start a conversation.

"It's acceptable."

"Well, in that case, I think I should get to ask my first question."

Bellatrix put the book down and took one of the wine glasses. Out of sheer nervousness Hermione did the same. "Ask away", the older witch said before she took a sip.

„What about your skull necklace? Why did you change it?"

"The necklace is off-limits. Try again."

"Horcrux?"

"Correct."

"But why? I would have thought you were convinced you would win."

The dark witch grinned. "I was. But I still could have been killed. I dedicated my entire life to him. I wanted to make sure I lived to see the outcome."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "And how do you like it? The outcome, I mean.", she asked.

Bellatrix stared into her wine glass for a long time before she spoke. "Well, it's dull, empty and very silent", she swallowed as she traced the edge of the glass with one fingertip.

Hermione was surprised. Only now she realized that the witch who used to be the most feared villain in the country, was now chained to a life without purpose or freedom. There was something very sad in seeing such a proud woman so defeated. She got up, walked to the old gramophone and put a record on.

"What are you doing?", Bellatrix wanted to know.

"I'm bringing some sound into the silence", Hermione smiled. She walked over to Bellatrix and offered her hand. The older witch had to laugh a bit, but accepted. Hermione put a hand around her waist and pulled her close. She could feel how the raven beauty tensed up.

"I didn't think you would be the one to lead", Bellatrix said in surprise.

"Well, I'm not nearly as timid as people think", Hermione whispered.

They slowly danced across the room and Hermione could feel how the other witch relaxed a bit more with every move until she rested her cheek against Hermione's. As the music came to a stop so did they. Eyes met. Lips were talking without speaking. The young witch leaned in for a kiss, carefully, a little afraid Bellatirx wouldn't let her. But she did. Lips slowly grazed against lips, a tongue demanded entrance. What started out as a shy exploration soon turned into an intense dance of tongues as Bellatrix threw her arms around her neck. She tasted like red wine, cinnamon, vanilla and everything Hermione thought she could ever desire. Overwhelmed by the longing that took over her, her brain turned off and her hands traveled down Bellatrix' back, over her waist and to her legs. She grazed her fingertips up and down soft thighs, lifting up the dress inch by inch, the other woman's arousal clearly showing in her breathing, until all of sudden Bellatrix pulled away and slapped Hermione across the face.

"What … on earth …", but Hermione couldn't make sense of what just happened and form a question. Bellatrix looked just as bewildered and, biting her lower lip, stumbled backwards out of the room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for all for the lovely reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last ones. Also, I'm sorry for all of the mistakes that were still in the last chapters. I wonder how many times I have to read them until I actually catch all of them …. I hope I did better in this one.

And, as you can see, there won't be any extra warnings on the M-rated chapters. I really appreciated your feedback on that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm not making any profit of this.

* * *

 _Memory_

 _All alone in the moonlight_

 _I can smile at the old days_

 _I was beautiful then_

 _I remember the time I knew what happiness was_

 _Let the memory live again_

 _(Memory – Andrew Llyod Webber)_

Bellatrix hurried down the small staircase so quickly she stumbled and fell down the last couple of stairs. A small bruise spread across her shin bone. She was running on autopilot and got back up without noticing the bruise. "Bellatrix?" she heard the girl call out from above and she started to run even faster. She had to get away from her. Footsteps echoed through the Manor as she hurried towards her room. She slammed the door shut and pulled out her wand from her wand holster that she carried at all times, even during a relaxing evening read. A variety of obscenities left her mouth while simultaneously a variety of spells left her wand. The perfume bottles exploded into small pieces of glass, one after the other, and filled the room with an unflattering mixture of smells. "For fuck's sake, keep it together, Lestrange", she muttered to herself. But in her mind hazel eyes mixed with green ones and became indistinguishable, pushing her over the edge. Her whole body tensed up as if a jolt of electricity shot through it. It was hard to move, but she managed to walk over to the bed. Her breathing was quickening, about to burst out into sobbing, as she reached into the lowest drawer of the bedside table. The blade looked dangerous and welcoming at the same time. She pulled up her skirt and slid the blade through her skin, numbing all thoughts and emotions.

Her head felt heavy like it was magically attached to the pillow below her. Would she even be able to lift it? She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again. The light was so bright it hurt; it must be late into the day already. She struggled to remember what day of the weak it was, but she couldn't. "Helga?" she called out. The elf took her usual five seconds to pop up.

"What day is it, Helga?" Bellatrix asked with her eyes still shut.

"It is a Saturday, Mistress" Helga responded.

"Shit" the witch exclaimed and her eyes shot opened fast. "Helga, I need you to prepare dinner for tonight. My sister is coming over. And tell Hermione to help you."

The elf bowed and disapparated right away. Bellatrix got up reluctantly and took off the dress she was still wearing from last night. Her eyes fell on the cuts on her thighs; bright red stripes, almost still fresh. She traced them lightly with her fingertips to revive a little bit of that tingling pain before they had to go. She took her wand and made the cuts vanish expertly. She had done it many times before. Cissy would be furious if she saw them and realized she was cutting again and she hated to let her sister down. It was quite paranoid, of course, because unless they spontaneously decided to go for a swim her sister would never see her legs. But she had always been more relaxed when she could be sure that no one would see them. She dreaded the conversation her sister would start if she knew. She sat down at the vanity and started her routine. Narcissa always valued an elegant appearance, even if it was just the two of them.

Hermione was sitting in the entrance hall. She had decided to sleep there after Bellatrix left her so abruptly last night. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to wander around the house and she didn't want to enrage the witch who, given the sounds emanating from her room last night, had been in a very bad mood.

" _The appearance of Florentino Ariza, a single man, young and pure, was like a gift from heaven to her, because from the first moment on she knew that, just like her, he needed love. But he remained unresponsive to her desire."_ *

She closed the book with a sigh. How fitting, she thought. Hermione had been a nervous wreck since last night. She was the type of person to talk things out immediately but she hadn't dared to wake the witch. Instead she had tried to calm her nerves by reading. She heard a small tapping noise from behind her and soon enough Helga was standing in front of her.

"Helga is to make dinner for tonight and Mistress has ordered Helga to ask Miss Hermione to help her" the elf squeaked.

"Of course she has" Hermione rolled her eyes, but followed Helga into the kitchen. The elf put a couple of vegetables on the table for her to cut. While Hermione chopped away at a courgette, Helga happily chatted away. She was unusually talkative for an elf and the young witch found it rather amusing. It reminded her of Dobby. She mostly told little anecdotes from her daily work life, painting a vivid picture of her breaks in which she got to play with the small gray cat whose name was Lennard as Hermione learned. Helga barely made a pause in her monologue so Hermione took the chance when the elf had stopped talking because she was struggling with a pot that was a bit too heavy for her.

"Helga, did you originally work for the Lestrange or the Black household?" Hermoine asked. Of course, _work_ wasn't the right word, but she couldn't bring herself to say _serve_.

"Helga dosen't serve the Lestrange or Black household, Miss. Helga only serves Mistress Bellatrix. Helga has been serving Mistress since she was born."

"Oh, so you lived with Bellatrix at Lestrange Manor? When did you move back here?"

"So many years ago, Helga doesn't remember" she said apologetically.

"Really?" Hermione wondered. "She didn't live with her husband? That's weird."

"What is weird, Miss Hermione?"

"That they didn't live together although they were married", Hermione explained. "I mean, didn't she love him?"

"Of course not", Helga said with a look of confusion, "she's a pureblood"; as if that was the explanation for everything and maybe it was, but Hermione was shocked. Just the thought of being _married_ to someone you didn't love made her sick. Not really wanting to know more at the moment, she continued to chop the vegetables in silence and listened to Helga's cheery talking. When they had prepared everything and the food was bubbling away Hermione set the table for two. Helga came into the dining hall with a third plate.

"Is someone coming over?" Hermione asked her.

"Oh yes, Mrs. Malfoy is coming over."

"Oh" Hermione said in surprise, "then I guess I'll just set the table and leave then. I hardly think I'll be joining the two of them."

"Of course you will" Bellatrix said she walked into the kitchen and popped a strawberry, that was meant for desert, into her mouth.

"Ehm, are you sure? I don't think you sister would want to have dinner with a Muggleborn, do you?"

"I don't give a damn. My house, my rules. You should, however, put on different clothes. Cissa always has a fit when someone doesn't _dress appropriate for the occasion_ " Bellatrix said mockingly. "Did you bring more formal clothes with you?"

"No, I don't … eh … really have formal clothes" Hermione said a bit embarrassed.

"Thought so" the Slytherin laughed and took her by the hand. "Come on then, let's see if I have something for you."

An hour and a couple of arguments later Hermione stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was finally wearing a pair of black jeans with a quite translucent blue satin blouse. Bellatrix had desperately been trying to get her into a dress. "I fucking hate dresses, ok?" Hermione had practically screamed at her. The older witch had reluctantly agreed to a pair of jeans, but insisted on a translucent blouse. As she sat down at the dinner table Hermione felt herself getting more and more nervous. Having dinner with Narcissa Malfoy was not exactly something she was looking forward to. Bellatrix seemed to be way more relaxed as she was sitting quite unladylike in one of the chairs. A roar could be heard from the fire place in the entrance hall and a few moments later the clicking of high heels announced the arrival of their guest. Bellatrix was already up to greet her sister.

"Good to see you, Cissy" Bellatrix said as she took her sister in a tight embrace. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, Belle" Narcissa smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on her sister's forehead. She loved to tease her older sister by taking advantage of the fact that she was at least a head taller than her. Bellatrix always acted like she hated it but Narcissa knew that, actually, she found it quite endearing. As she looked over her sister's head her facial expression hardened. She let go of Bellatrix as the young Gryffindor stood up and approached her.

"Mrs. Malfoy" Hermione said and held out her hand.

"Miss Granger" Narcissa nodded her head in acknowledgement but didn't take the offered hand. Narcissa Malfoy didn't shake hands. She walked past the young witch while shooting daggers at her sister.

They all took their seats and, luckily, Helga started to serve dinner immediately. Hermione kept her eyes on the plate in front of her and only listened as the sisters made some light conversation. She didn't want to make another fauxpas. Halfway through the course her eyes suddenly shut up towards the two witches.

"Lucius' trial is scheduled for Thursday" Naricssa said.

Bellatrix visibly tensed up. "How are you holding up?" she asked out of mere politeness. She really didn't want to hear anything about that trial.

"Quite alright, actually. His lawyer is brilliant. He's the first one to finish the new law study programme, with excellent grades on top of that. He's sure he can prevent Lucius' imprisonment and that is really all I could ask for. So I'm quite optimistic."

"How _lovely_ for you and your hubby." Bellatrix was basically stabbing into her food like a mad five year old.

" _Bellatrix_ " Narcissa said in a warning tone.

"WHAT?! Do you expect me to throw a party for him? Do you expect me to be happy that you can continue with your fucking life while I _rot away_ in this goddamn prison?!"

Narcissa and Hermione both flinched at the loud crashing noise that echoed through the room. In one swift motion Bellatrix had thrown her plate off the table. Tiny bits of porcelain were scattered all over the floor. It took only a few seconds before Helga walked in like a shaking leaf and started to clean up the mess. The dark witch almost knocked the little creature over as she stormed out of the room.

Narcissa cleared her throat. "If you will excuse me, Miss Granger" she said calmly. On the inside she was boiling. As much as she had gotten accustomed to her sister's tantrums, she really wasn't one for _public_ tantrums.

Narcissa cornered her sister and grapped her by her shoulders. "If anyone here has a right to be mad it's me. Have you gone completely mental, now? What is _she_ doing here? She could easily give you away."

"She won't" Bellatrix responded in sing-song voice.

"What makes you so sure about that?" Narcissa hissed.

Bellatrix smirked and whispered into her sister's ear: "Because I have something that she wants and she will do what I want until I give it to her."

"Is that so, Bellatrix? Or does she have something that you want?" the blonde witch asked with a raised eyebrow. She stared intensely at her eldest sister. She was looking like a five year old who was about to cry because her oh so clever cover had been blown. Sometimes Narcissa wondered which one of them was truly the older one. She gently cupped her sister's cheek. "Don't think I don't know what this is about. And I understand it, Belle, but be careful. I don't want to see you go to that awful place ever again." Narcissa kissed her on the forehead and left.

Bellatrix was fucking mad her sister. She ruined the bloody evening. She meant well as Narcissa always did, but Bellatrix didn't need advice. She knew what she was doing. Hermione was just a girl. She was still the clever, skilled, great Bellatrix Lestrange, wasn't she? She poured down two small glasses of Firewhisky . That always silenced the doubts. She grabbed the entire bottle and went to look for the young witch. This evening wasn't over. She found her at a desk in the library, perched over a piece of parchment. Cool air was coming in from the open window behind her.

"Letting your backup know you're still in one piece?" Bellatrix asked as she entered the room.

Hermione nodded, walked over to the open window and gave the letter to the owl that was sitting on the window still. "I'm sorry you fought with your sister" she said.

"Ah, never mind", Bellatrix waved her hand, "you know how it is with sisters."

"I don't. I don't have any siblings."

"Oh", Bellatrix mused almost sympathetically, "I couldn't imagine being without Cissy." She walked over unsteadily, letting herself slump onto one of the chairs and Hermione realized the older witch must have had quite a bit of the translucent fiery liquid. "Here, help yourself" she offered Hermione the bottle. The young woman only took a small sip. She wasn't a steady drinker and being drunk in the present of an ex-death eater might not be a good idea.

"Who is that backup of yours anyway?" Bellatrix wanted to know.

Without thinking Hermione responded with "Minerva" and regretted it immediately.

"Ah, good old Minnie", Bellatrix chuckled, "still can't say no to a beautiful young witch, can she?" The panther stalked over to her prey and whispered: "Did she try to get in your pants then?"

"What? No! Of course not" Hermione was shocked. "Did … did she try … with you?" she asked hesitantly.

"She did indeed" the black panther purred and the voice sent shivers down her spine. "I'm surprised she could hold back with you. Seems like the little cat has learned to control herself." Bellatrix was dangerously close to her face when she whispered "Can't say that for myself" and slid red lips onto rosy ones. Hermione's mind went all fuzzy when she felt the surprising softness in Bellatrix' lips and then her tongue. Amazing how sensual a single kiss could be. The raven witch gently nibbled at that place between her neck and shoulder and it sent a shiver through Hermione's body that she hadn't expected. Bellatrix' hands moved up her ribcage in a way that was soft and demanding at the same time. Fingernails teased her nipples through her T-Shirt. A wave of heat shot into her center and a wave of juices flowed out of her. She tensed up by the reaction of her own body. This had never happened to her. Never had she been so easily aroused. Her mind was working overtime. This was going too fast, she thought, she barely knew her. She couldn't go there yet, could she? She opened her mouth in an attempt to utter protest but she couldn't say anything. Her body was on fire. It just felt too damn good.

Bellatrix had worked her way down to the girl's trousers and fumbled with the buttons. Damn these trousers, she thought. Why couldn't young witches stick to dresses? It was so much easier to just get underneath them instead of fighting with these buttons. She was losing patience and the Firewhisky running through her veins didn't help; it made her very horny. When she had finally managed to pull the girl's pants off she was rewarded with the smell of her arousal. It was intoxicating and it had been way too long since that scent had filled her nose. She lowered her face to the girl's core and audibly took in the scent, letting out a low moan. "I always appreciate a warm welcome" she smirked as she traced her fingertips across the wet fabric.

Hermione couldn't stop her eyes from growing wide. She was a bit intimidated by the woman's boldness. She watched her in anxious anticipation as Bellatrix pulled down her panties. When the raven witch took her her eyes fluttered shut, overwhelmed by the intensity of pleasure she was feeling.

Bellatrix, however, never took her eyes off her. How beautiful she looked when her cheeks flustered, when her mouth fell open and screams left her throat, when she came undone. She felt the young witch trying to pull her close, trying to hold her, after she came, so Bellatrix quickly got up and turned back to the bottle of Firewhisky. A strange loneliness took over her. She felt small hands untying the laces of her corset. "Don't" she hissed. "Let me touch you, Bella", a soft voice whispered into her ear, "my Bella." That did it. She turned around and pushed the young witch back down on the chair. Within the blink of an eye Bellatrix had lifted her dress, grapped Hermione's wrist and slid herself onto her fingers, pushing fast into her hand. She was biting her lip, her brows were in a deep frown. She already felt herself clenching around slender fingers and knew she wouldn't last long. "Fuck" she moaned and a hand grapped her ass and pushed her further, "oh _fuck_ … oh … ca …. Cara." Exhausted she flopped onto the witch below her.

Hermione was petrified and felt crushed from more than the physical weight of the witch above her. How things could turn within a second.

* * *

*This is a quote from "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel García Márquez. I only have the German copy so this is just my own translation of the passage.

 **A/N:** Oh dear, so that's the first smut scene. Have mercy on me… I'm sorry it took me so long to update. There's really no excuse other than I'm a very undisciplined writer and I already have ideas for two other stories running through my head. Thank you to everyone who has favourited and followed this story. I did not expect it to gain the number of followers it has thus far, so a big thank you to all of you.

 **Justine:** I tried to look up whether Bella's necklace is magical, but I couldn't find any information on it, so I guess it's not? Thank you for mentioning it though, because I would actually like it if it was and it has given me an idea for another story :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just having fun borrowing her characters.

* * *

 _I have seen you around, my love, with ladies on both sides_

 _You don't have to excuse yourself_

 _You don't have to explain yourself_

 _No lies, I want no lies from you_

 _(No lies – The Kelly Family)_

"You can sleep in the guest room."

The girl took a hold of her hand and looked at her with big eyes. "I'm sorry", she said, "but sleeping together isn't really my thing." She laughed at her own words. "Well, you know what I mean." She winked and made her way towards her chambers.

Once she was inside her bedroom she started to untie the many laces of her corset. It would be easier to do so using magic, but it was like a calming night ritual to her. "Nice job, Bellatrix" she muttered to herself as she changed into a simple nightgown. Maybe … maybe she was lucky and Hermione didn't hear it. After all, the girl didn't say anything. "Damn it!", she slammed her fist on the vanity. Of course the girl had heard it. Bellatrix was aware that she wasn't exactly a quiet lover. Maybe she would be too uptight to mention it. Anyway, what did it even matter, Bellatrix thought as she crawled under the bedsheets; it was just a nice shag. She shifted around uncomfortably. For a moment she thought she had felt a sharp sting in her heart.

The smell of vanilla, black tee and parchment was a truly beautiful mixture of scents. The candle was almost burned down when she closed the book and took the last sips of her tee. She had been up early, just as the sun started to rise, and spent the last two hours reading in the library. Out of the blue she felt magic cracking around her.

Hermione looked back between her wand and the wall in bewilderment. When she woke up this morning she was determined to confront Bellatrix first thing. Helga, always being an excellent source for information, told her the dark witch was in the library, but when Hermione wanted to go there she found the door leading to the small staircase to have vanished. She had been trying different spells for several minutes now, but nothing had happened so far. "What on earth is this?" she wondered as she traced her hands across the space where the door should be. Suddenly she felt the material move beneath her hands and the door started to materialize – again – and opened. Standing inside was a rather smug looking Bellatrix.

"I … Helga told me you were …", Hermione stuttered, "and I wanted to look for you, but … the door was gone. I couldn't figure out how to open it." She looked down at her feet. How she hated to admit she couldn't figure something out.

Bellatrix looked rather amused at the girl's hopeless efforts. "I shall damn well hope you couldn't. It only materializes at my _touch_." She held up her hand. Blood was dripping down her index finger.

"You really have a thing for blood, eh?" Hermione said. Her stomach started to turn slightly.

Bellatrix just winked. "The third floor is sort of my own personal floor if you will. I enchanted the door after …."; she traced her hand absentmindly over the door.

"After what?" Hermione asked.

"Never mind." Bellatrix shook her head as if she just snapped out of bad dream. She made her way back upstairs and left the young woman standing there.

Hermione exhaled in annoyance. This was getting ridiculous. She followed the raven woman upstairs in determination to get some answers. Bellatrix had retreated to the library again. Hermione was leaning in the doorway and watched her for a while. She was going through the rows, every now and then picking out a book and adding it to the pile on the table. The Gryffindor was about to ask what she was doing, what type of books she was selecting when she felt herself getting really angry. No, she wouldn't pretend like nothing happened.

„Bella?"

The dark witch only turned around for a second, raising an eyebrow, before she turned back to the shelf. Her mood didn't brighten as she heard the girl calling her by her nickname. The feelings her nickname caused when it was said by the young witch irritated her. It was so _intimate_. The girl didn't wait for a response, but asked the question Bellatrix had hoped she wouldn't.

"Who is she?" Hermione asked.

"Who is who?" Of course, she knew who the Gryffindor was referring to.

"Who is _Cara_?" Hermione spat the name. The anger was apparent in her voice.

Bellatrix cackled and it had a hint of her old mad laughter. "She's none of your business."

"Oh see, but that's where you're wrong. It seems like you have forgotten about our little game for which _you_ set up the rules. So let me remind you: I do something for you, you answer my questions. And that dinner yesterday was pretty good, if I do say so myself. So, who … is … she?" The dark witch faced her with a defiant look in her eyes. Though Hermione thought she also saw something else in them; a spark. "Oh really? Does she fuck you even better than I did? I wouldn't have thought that was …".

"Crucio!"

Hermione's mouth fell open in a silent scream. The thin body almost cracked in half. She felt as if her organs were being put through the mangle. Her lungs were slowly failing her. The pain was bad enough to make her lash out in all directions and make her knees shake uncontrollably, but it wasn't bad enough to make her pass out. That was the real torture. Bellatrix was a master of her craft. When the dark witch lifted the curse, Hermione crashed onto the hard floor. Her sight was clouded and she could barely keep her eyes open. The sound of heavy boots came nearer until she saw wild black curls above her. Bellatrix was hovering mere inches above her face. "Don't you _ever_ dare to speak her name again" whispered the older woman. She was scanning Hermione's face intensely until she looked up to the right corner of the room, then back to Hermione. Next thing she saw was a pair of black leather boots leaving the room.

Not trusting her legs yet she held on to the table for support and slowly got up. A loud bang let her know that Bellatrix must have left through the front door. Where on earth was she going? What if she was seen? She walked to the window as quickly as she could and looked outside. In contrast to what she was expecting, she didn't see the dark witch, but a panther. The sun reflected on its shining black fur as it run into the woods surrounding the manor. The young witch sighed in frustration. Even in her animagus form the woman was beautiful. She looked over to the corner at the far end of the room where Bellatrix had looked to mere minutes ago. There was a cupboard built into the wall. Her curiosity got the best of her.

As soon as she opened the cupboard a Pensieve glided out in mid-air. She took the first of a group of neatly lined up flasks and pondered for a moment. Did she really want to dive into the past of Bellatrix Lestrange? She only knew that she wanted answers and so she poured the silvery liquid into the Pensieve. She lowered her face to the surface and was violently tucked down.

 _Colours were twirling around her as she rushed down further and further, her head was getting dizzy, until she crashed onto soft grass. It took her a moment to locate where she was. It was pitch-black and her pupils took some time adjusting to the darkness, but once they did she saw a great lake in front of her and big castle on top of a hill. She was at Hogwarts. Two students were sitting a couple of meters away from her and she slowly approached them. She was almost walking on tiptoes as if they could hear her. Theoretically she knew they couldn't, but she felt as though they could and so she tried to be quiet. As she got closer to the pair she saw a small fire bulb floating in front of them, illuminating the face of one girl and Hermione recognized a very young Bellatrix. She couldn't be much older than thirteen. The other girl had her back turned towards her. Still feeling very uncomfortable being in someone else's memory she didn't dare to get closer and so she couldn't hear what they were saying; she could only make out that they didn't say much. Bellatrix glanced at the girl every now and then, twisting her hands nervously in her lap until the girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let her fingers caress a porcelain cheek. Bellatrix flushed as the girl leaned in to place a tender kiss on her lips. As endearing as the sight of a young and shy Bellatrix was, Hermione felt almost guilty to pry into what might very well have been a first kiss._

 _Next thing she knew she was being thrown into another scene. The room was incredibly spacious and she reckoned it had to be the Room of Requirement. The girl she had seen with Bellatrix moments before was perched over a book in deep concentration, occasionally scrabbling down some notes on a piece of parchment. This time Hermione dared to walk closer to the girl and when she did, she felt as though an iron hand grasped her heart and squeezed it slowly. She was basically looking at a variation of herself. The girl had bushy, brown-reddish hair and green eyes. Her school uniform gave away a feminine, but not too curvy figure. The blue and silver tie told her she was a Ravenclaw. Bellatrix was lying next to the girl, humming a song Hermione didn't recognize._

" _I need to study" the girl said in a serious, annoyed tone._

 _Bellatrix rolled her eyes at that. "You've been studying all day, Cara."_

" _So? We've got exams coming up."_

 _Bellatrix got up and started to place a line of kisses along the girl's neck. "And I'm sure my smart girlfriend already knows everything there is to know" she whispered._

" _Alright", the girl closed her book in resignation, "I give in."_

" _Can't say no to me, eh?" Bellatrix said with a smug face._

" _I could never say no to you, Bella", the girl breathed, "my Bella."_

 _Hermione stared in disbelief as the truth started to unravel. She was getting sicker and sicker while the kisses between the two girls got more heated. She had seen enough._

Hermione went into the guest room, where she had been sleeping, and started to pack her bag. She would not be anybody's substitute.

"What are you doing?" she heard Bellatrix ask. She didn't even bother to turn around and continued to gather all of her stuff.

"What does it look like? I'm leaving."

"You saw the memories. All of them?"

"Oh no. I'm no masochist. I've had enough after the first flask, trust me." Hermione took her packed bag and was about to leave, but Bellatrix took a hold of her and pushed her against the wall, holding her firmly in place.

"You don't understand" the dark witch growled through clenched teeth.

"Oh I understand perfectly well. The only reason I'm alive today is because I remind you of some ex-lover of yours."

"No, you don't understand. If you hadn't drawn conclusions so fast and seen them all you would."

"And what would I have seen?" Hermione challenged her. "More heated scenes between you and that … that … _girl_? No thanks, I don't need that."

Bellatrix' voice turned into a barely audible whisper. "You would have seen that you already caught my eye the first time I saw you in the ministry." The dark witch pressed herself further against the girl with every word she spoke. "You would have seen that I watched your every step, that it pained me to torture you." She started to tear at the girl's blouse. "You would have seen that you drive me insane."

Fighting the arousal that was building inside her, Hermione harshly stopped Bellatrix' hands and reversed their roles. The fact that she was taller than her came as an advantage as she held the dark witch against the wall now.

"And all of that is because you can't have her anymore. Tell me what happened. Did she get sick of your games? Did she leave you for some pure-blood millionaire and so you decided to take me as a substitute?", Hermione taunted her.

The raven woman shook her head and a wet shimmer started to cloud her eyes.

"No? What is it, then? Tell me what you feel for me, then. Tell me!"

"You … are … I…" Bellatrix could only stutter.

"Fuck you" the girl spat at her and stormed out of the room.

"Hermione!" the dark witch called after her, but she was already at the front door and didn't think to look back. The heavy doors slammed shut with a loud bang.

"Please don't leave" a broken voice cried above.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, we're starting to get closer to Bella's secrets and issues and let me tell you, she has quite a lot. But that was to be expected, wasn't it? It's Bellatrix after all ;) I hope you liked this chapter and don't be shy to review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

* * *

 _Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken_

 _Hello_

 _I'm the lie, living for you so you can hide_

 _Don't cry_

 _(Hello – Evanescence)_

The dust was in the process of becoming a visible layer on the desk. It was a sign of the time Hermione had spent away from the Burrow. She had been back for a couple of days now and it was getting harder to ignore the fact that she was once again living without any task at hand. So, today she had decided that cleaning would be a start. Harry had joined her and could be heard shoving things around in his room.

"Hermione, have you seen my Invisibility Cloak?" he called out from across the corridor.

Shit, Hermione, thought. She had completely forgotten about the cloak. "No, I haven't" she lied.

Harry was now standing in the doorway to her room.

"That's weird. I haven't used it in ages and I noticed only now that it's gone."

"That's weird indeed" she muttered and continued to dust the desk.

"Oh well, it'll show up eventually. Listen, I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me in Diagon Alley at the weekend. Just the two of us" he added as if he could read her thoughts.

"Yeah, I would like that. It's really been a while since we did anything together" she smiled.

"Awesome. I think I'll go into the attic. Maybe the cloak's there. George probably thought it would be fun to hide it."

As soon as Harry was out of sight, Hermione snuck into his room and put the cloak under his bed, feeling lucky that she hadn't been caught.

The taste of blood was still fresh in her mouth. Her heart was pounding wildly from a rush of adrenalin in this rare moment of freedom. The grass was soft and moist beneath her paws, but she didn't mind the mild rain. Her fur was thick enough to protect her. She tried to calm her heartbeat from her recent hunting spree as she walked out into a clearing. The air was piercing cold, but she enjoyed anything that made _feel_ these days.

As she scanned the place she noticed another pair of yellow eyes in the dark. Her body tensed up and went into attack-mode. A small cat walked out of the bushes and onto the clearing. She recognized her immediately and sent a warning hiss her way.

The small cat started to shake violently and stretch in length and width. Her fur dissolved and soon, Minerva was standing there, wand at the ready. Although she had recognized Bellatrix in her animagus form as soon as she had walked onto the clearing, she could barely believe her own eyes.

The panther followed suit and within seconds the two witches were facing each other, ready to fight. They were walking in circles, fixating each other with cat like looks and movements. Funny how human and animal could become one.

Minerva pondered on her next move. The reasonable thing would be to take the dark witch prisoner, hand her in with the Aurors. People would celebrate her for it. Her reputation would rise even more than it already had. But a voice inside her head told her not to do it. As if they could read each other's minds the women lowered their wands simultaneously.

"And so we meet again" the dark witch sing-songed.

Minerva wasn't in the mood for small talk and got right to the point. "What's your agenda, Bellatrix?" she asked.

"I have none."

"You don't? You don't want to raise an army of dark witches and wizards for yourself?"

"I have no intention of doing that. I've had enough excitement for a lifetime."

Minerva was confused. She had never seen this sight of the dark witch. But then again, she hadn't been in contact with her for decades.

"Whether that be true or not, you have committed countless horrible crimes. Why should I let you be?"

"Because you are a good person, Minerva" she sighed. "Merlin knows I have a number of people on my conscience and I regret most of the crimes I've committed. But I cannot change what I've already done. I can only try do it differently now."

Minerva was speechless. Bellatrix' voice, her whole demeanor held not her usual arrogance or insanity. She seemed sincere.

"Don't you think I deserve a second chance at life; at happiness?" She looked the Scottish witch straight in the eyes. "Please don't take that away from me. And don't take that away from your little lioness."

Minerva was a sharp lady. "You?!" her eyes grew wide in realization and shock. "That's where she's been going?"

"Yes" the raven witch answered and smiled almost shyly.

The mother lioness in Minerva came to the forefront and was ready to protect her cub. "I swear to Gryffindor, if you have harmed so much as one hair on her head …" She had drawn her wand again.

"There's no need for all of that, Minerva" Bellatrix said calmly. She walked closer towards the witch. Invading her personal space, her face was now only inches away form Minerva's. "You know I can be a good girl, if I want to." She licked along her jawline and husked into her ear: "Or should I remind you?"

A hand grabbed her by her throat and pushed her into a tree. She yelped as her head collided with the hard rind. A hint of fear reflected in her eyes as fingers closed in around her throat. Minerva was physically stronger than she looked. She put her hand on her wand, just in case. But the fingers loosened their grip and scratched down her throat, over her collarbone and came to stop between her breasts. She met Minerva's stern gaze with a smile. "Feel free to help yourself if you like what you see."

Minerva gave her a questioning look. "Are you offering to whore yourself out in exchange for my silence?"

"Nah, I don't think you can call it that. If I remember correctly you were quite an alright fuck."

"Quite alright, he?", Minerva's voice became dangerously low as she stepped closer to Bellatrix. "I'll show you quite alright."

The Scottish witch turned her around harshly and pushed her against the tree, pressing herself against her back to keep her in place. The sharp pain in her lungs was burning her up from inside. Her ribcage was constricted by the tree in the front and Minerva in the back and she could only take shallow breaths. She felt her dress being lifted to her waist and goosebumps spread across her skin when the cold night brushed her legs. She cried out as three fingers entered her without warning. Minerva didn't give her any chance to adjust and picked up a rapid pace. Soon enough she felt the other witch's wet sex against her ass and she couldn't help but smile. Good to know she could still get her off like that. Bellatrix grew wetter with every thrust and soon she joined Minerva in filling the night with carnal sounds.

Small cracks had appeared on her hands from washing them so furiously for several minutes. She turned off the water and her eyes met her own reflection in the mirror. Minerva struggled to recognize the woman she saw. She was disgusted; not by Bellatrix. Bellatrix was only a woman who had been broken too many times and never been taught how to deal with it properly. And she felt like she had taken advantage of that. She felt disgusted by herself. She steadied herself on the sink and breathed deeply. "I'm sorry" she whispered.

Bellatrix looked at her reflection in the floor-length mirror. Thanks to the use of strong glamour charms her hair was back to its old glory. She traced her fingertips along her neck, recreating the path Minerva had traveled not even an hour ago. She watched her chest fight the restraint of her corset with every breath she took. She traced the form of her hips. She had regained her womanly curves since the war. She couldn't help but flirt with her own image. Yes, she truly was a sight. No wonder the Scottish witch was unable to resist her; they all were. She smiled to herself as her hand found its way underneath her skirt and stroked herself. Movements were becoming frantic in an attempt to get herself off. Icing coldness covered her forehead as she steadied herself on the mirror, her hot breath fogging a little patch of glass. Copying Minerva's moves she plunged three fingers inside herself. She ignored the signs of her body, the tenseness of her muscles and pushed harder, until …

"Ahh!" a stinging pain in her abdomen made her bend in half. She withdrew her fingers to see that they were covered in blood. Irritated she turned away from her reflection. Why wasn't she on a high like she usually was after quick sexual encounters like these. She felt nervous, uneasy and she couldn't grasp why. She walked down the corridors of the manor in haste as if she could find the answer in one of the many rooms. She stopped at one particular room; the guest room. Something made her open the door and step inside. She moved cautiously as if something hidden could attack her any moment. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on a clothing item. A T-Shirt; _her_ T-Shirt. She took it in her hands and felt the fabric. It was soft; _she_ was soft. She held it close to her face. It smelled of vanilla and bit of lavender; _she_ smelled of vanilla and a bit of lavender. She couldn't stop her hands from grasping the fabric so tight they almost ripped it apart, couldn't stop tears from falling, couldn't stop her legs from growing weak. Deep concealed pain tore a scream from her throat and she sunk to the floor, clutching the piece of clothing tight to her chest.

It was ten minutes to six. The Malfoy family was gathered around the grand dinner table.

"I think we should start to serve …."

"I said no, Lucius. We will not start without her." Narcissa's facial expression left no room for debate, but her husband was foolish enough to try anyway.

"She should have been here a while ago, honey. She's not going to come today."

"Did I not make myself clear? We will wait till six sharp."

Lucius put the fork he had been playing with back down. He was tipping his fingers impatiently on the table. It was so quiet that Draco's stomach could be heard growling occasionally.

The clock showed six sharp.

"That's it. I'm going over" Narcissa said and got up.

"Narcissa, we wanted to celebrate my freedom today. You will not leave now."

"Do you really think you're still in the position to tell me what to do, Lucius?"

Lucius slammed his fist on the table. "You have to stop treating her like a bloody child!"

"I will stop treating her like one as soon as she stops behaving like one" the blonde witch said and went for the fire place in the living room.

"I really hope you have a good excuse for this, sister dear" she called immediately as she arrived at Black Manor. Although she could understand her sister's dislike for her husband to a certain extent, this evening meant a lot to her. It was the end to many years of turmoil and she had expected her to be there.

"Bellatrix?" she called out for the witch, but there was no response. Narcissa was getting nervous and hurried up into the first floor as fast as her high heels allowed. She went into her sister's bedroom first, but it was empty. She quickly walked down the corridor in the other direction. The door of the guest room was ajar, so she entered and she was faced with a sight she had hoped to never see again.

Her strong, fierce sister was curled up on the floor like a scared animal with her sleeves and skirt pulled up. The blood on her arms and thighs looked bad enough and yet, when Narcissa saw the blade still laying in her palm her heart broke a little more. Someone else might have fallen into panic at the sight, thinking Bellatrix was unconscious or worse, but she knew better. She had seen her sister hurting herself before and the fact that she had fallen asleep on the spot, without heeling her wounds, let her know it must have been a particularly bad episode. She kneeled down next to her sleeping sister, took the razor blade out of her hand and put it on the vanity.

"Belle", she gently patted her head, "wake up, Belle."

Bellatrix slowly opened her eyes. She was confused at the sight of her sister next to her. When she realized that it was already evening again and her eyes drifted to the massacre on her arms and legs the situation started to dawn on her. "Oh shit, I didn't want you to …. _Shit_." She wanted to pull her sleeves and skirt down quickly, but Narcissa stopped her.

"Wait, Belle, you have to heal them first or else they're going to get infected." She took out her wand and pointed it at her sister.

"You don't have to do that, Cissy."

"I want to. Please." And so Narcissa chanted Episky over and over again. It was a weak attempt at making herself feel less guilty for all the things she felt she should have done for her sister. It was funny in a way. Bellatrix had been the one to take care of her, defended her when they were young, now it seemed like the roles were reversed. Once there were no traces left of what had happened she turned away to give her sister a moment to fix her clothes.

But Bellatrix took it the wrong way. "Are you mad at me? I know you hate it when I do that, but I …." She looked at her with big, pleading eyes and her helplessness reflected in them. Narcissa was the only person in the world whom she allowed to see her like this.

"You don't have to apologize, Belle! I'm not mad at you, I just … Why don't you talk to me when you feel that way?"

"I don't know" Bellatrix said. "I've just always dealt with everything on my own."

It was the one response that would hurt Narcissa the most. "Well you don't have to anymore." She kneeled down beside her sister. "So what is it, then? What happened?"

"It doesn't matter", Bellatrix shook her head, "it's nothing, really."

"Is it the girl?" Narcissa asked.

"She knows about Cara. She thinks she's just a substitute" explained the dark witch.

"But that's not true, is it?"

Bellatrix shook her head in a barely noticeable motion.

"I see" Narcissa said. "Tell her, then."

"I've tried! She wouldn't even really listen to me!"

Something stirred in Narcissa as she saw tears building in her sister's eyes. When she took her in her arms, she decided to take matters into her own hands; Malfoy style.

* * *

 **Justine:** Don't make me blush ;) But thank you for the compliment! That's a pretty good analysis. I also think Hermione is a bit oblivious to all the things that can happen in the life of a pureblood/Black and has a hard time understanding Bella's hesitation. We'll see if both ladies will be able to open up a bit more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

 _You only see what your eyes want to see_

 _How can life be what you want it to be_

 _You're frozen_

 _When your heart's not open_

 _(Frozen – Madonna)_

Diagon Alley was chock-full. Every couple of meters a group of wizards and witches had come together to chat, blocking the way for everyone else. It took Harry and Hermione quite a while to get through the crowd. When they stepped into the restaurant they had been heading for, the noise was immediately replaced by a nice silence. Not a single sound from the outside penetrated through the well enchanted walls.

"Wow, this is quite an exclusive restaurant, Harry" Hermione said.

"Well, I try my best to impress, Miss" he winked at her and the friends fell into a laughing fit.

The waiter took their orders and then an awkward silence spread between them. Harry thought it best to finally address the big elephant in the room.

"So, what are we gonna do about this mess?" he asked.

Hermione laughed, almost spitting out her Butterbeer. "It really is a mess, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I'm really sorry, Hermione, for how Ron's behaving. I've tried to talk to him about it, but he's being rather difficult."

"I just don't get it, you know? I understand that he's hurt. It always hurts when someone doesn't reciprocate your feelings, but …" A pair of chocolate brown eyes appeared inside her mind and all she could think about for a second was how badly she wanted drown herself in those dark depths. "You just have to get over it, haven't you?" she added quietly. She blinked furiously a couple of times to get the image of Bellatrix out of her head. "Well, I just really don't know what to tell him anymore. I mean, how can he think we could be together? He knew about Luna and me! You all did."

"He seems to be under the impression it might just have been a phase" Harry said.

Hermione rolled her eyes and was about to speak, but Harry stopped her before she could go into a full-blown rant.

"I know" he sighed. "I know it's not a phase and I tried to tell him you know who you are, but he keeps saying that we can't really be sure until you actually say it."

Hermione shook her head in resignation. "You know what? There's this muggle shop in London and they have these really cool pride shirts. I might just happen to wear one for breakfast someday."

"Well, that might just do it. With some people you have to shout it to their face for them to understand."

Their lunch arrived and they both indulged on the delicious delicacies.

"Anyway, enough of this Ron disaster" Hermione shifted the conversation. "Tell me about your studies. How is it going?"

Ice-blue eyes were watching the famous pair from a private corner, the young witch being of special interest to them. Narcissa thought she was way too good for her sister. She seemed so at ease. She laughed whole-heartedly at her friend's jokes. Her facial expression and gestures were pure, natural. She seemed so innocent and undamaged. Narcissa thought she was nowhere near good enough for her sister. How could this naïve little thing ever understand Bellatrix and be a supporting partner? But her sister had apparently set her heart on this girl; who was she to judge?

"That sounds really great", Hermione said when Harry had updated her on his studies. "I'm glad you found something that makes you happy."

"Thanks, Hermione" Harry said. He looked at her uncomfortably. The air was thick with the question everyone had been avoiding for months.

Hermione decided to address the topic herself.

"I'm considering Minerva's offer" she said.

To her surprise Harry looked rather taken aback.

"What subject does she want you to teach?" he asked.

"Transfiguration and Ancient Runes" Hermione said. Harry was still looking at her strangely. "What is it Harry? You don't seem very convinced."

"I don't know", he shrugged, "I guess I never really saw you as the teaching type."

Hermione frowned. "You know I love to learn. I love knowledge."

"Exactly. You love to learn, to broaden your own knowledge, but do you want to teach others? Are you patient enough to deal with students who don't live up to your expectations or who are just … lazy?"

Hermione looked dumbfounded. "Well, when you say it like that … maybe I should think on it some more."

"Yeah, maybe" Harry laughed.

The two friends left the restaurant in a cheery mood after Harry had insisted on paying the bill. When they hugged each other good bye Harry asked her: "Can we count on you for dinner tomorrow? I'll talk to Ron. I'll make sure he'll behave."

"Alright" Hermione said. "Lord knows I'd love for everything to go back to normal."

"We'll give it a shot, then" Harry smiled.

After they parted, Hermione went to check out a book shop that had opened only recently. The mixture of bookshop and café sounded very promising and as soon as she entered, she knew she would be spending a lot of time here. But today a quick stroll through the rows of books would have to do.

A book titled "The secrets within her depths" caught her eye. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her. She flipped through the pages and blushed. This was something she definitely needed to look into closer in the privacy of her room. She added the book to the other two she had already picked out when a voice behind her addressed her.

"You have a tendency to reach for things that aren't appropriate for your age, Miss Granger."

Hermione froze. She knew that voice. Trying not to let her nervousness show, she turned around to face Narcissa Malfoy.

"Beg my pardon?" she said. "I don't what you're talking about."

"Let's not play coy. I'm talking about your relationship with my sister."

"You …", Hermione's eyes widened, "you know?"

"Of course I do" Narcissa said confidently. "I know everything that is going on in my sister's life."

Hermione's anxiety started to build and she automatically backed into the shelf behind her. Somehow she was a lot more afraid of Narcissa than she was of Bellatrix. The confidence and calmness in her voice, her posture, her expressionless face, the way Narcissa Malfoy carried herself suggested she could kill with looks alone. Whether the witch was really a force to be reckoned with, Hermione didn't know. She had only seen her duel once when they were held hostage at Malfoy Manor and she had been so worn out by the torture that the memory was more of a blur. She did know, however, that it was always smart to never overestimate yourself and never underestimate your opponent.

Still, she felt that the witch was overstepping some boundaries here. "My relationships are really none of your business, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Bellatrix is my business", Narcissa hissed and closed in on the girl, "even more so when she is getting involved with someone who might not be good for her. So tell me, what exactly do you want from my sister?"

"I … I don't know" Hermione stuttered.

"Well, you better come to a conclusion soon. If you continue to play my sister, then Salazar help me, because I will not sit and watch how she kills herself over one of you filthy bitches again. I might not have been a villain during the war, but I'll gladly turn into one for her. Mark my words, Miss Granger."

"Wow, hold on. With all due respect, Mrs. Malfoy, but you don't seem to be as up to date with things as you think. If anyone is being played here, it is me. I know I'm a replacement. I've seen it. She doesn't care about me."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" the blonde challenged her.

"I specifically asked her how she felt about me and she couldn't give me an answer. I think that says enough."

Narcissa closed her eyes for a second in order to stay calm at this young girl's foolishness before she spoke: "They say you're the brightest witch of your age and yet you're being really thick. It may have slipped your brilliant mind, but Bellatrix isn't very skilled in showing emotions, at least not positive ones. Just because she didn't say it does not mean she doesn't feel it. Have you forgotten who my sister is and what she has done? Do you not realize what she was risking when she allowed you into her life?"

The older witch stepped even closer to the girl and stared her down and Hermione wondered whether the gift of intimidation was somehow imprinted into the Black genes.

Narcissa lowered her voice: "You have no idea what Azkaban is like and what it has done to her. My sister is by far the strongest person I've ever known, but I'm sure even she wouldn't survive a second imprisonment. Do you really think she would take that risk just to revive some memories?"

Hermione didn't know how to respond to that.

Narcissa took the girl's speechlessness as a small victory. "I suggest you choose your steps wisely, Miss Granger. If you are not genuinely interested in Bellatrix, you better tell her now before she gets too involved. It's for your own good. Trust me."

With that the blonde witch left a wide-eyed Hermione and exited the shop. As Narcissa was walking down the street she couldn't help but shake her head at Bellatrix' behaviour. What an utter fool her sister was. She really was completely useless in the art of courting. How she could have done nothing more than to explain her past with Cara was a mystery to her. No wonder the girl had left; she must feel like a cheap replacement. Narcissa knew she was more than that, but her sister apparently didn't know how to show that. She'd had to have a word with her. Still, she didn't regret what she had just done. A little warning never hurt.

When Bellatrix walked into the kitchen the next morning she found her sister's owl sitting on the window still. She took the letter and sipped on her coffee while she read the note.

 _Dear sis,_

 _meet me for tea this afternoon at Malfoy Manor. We need to talk._

 _Cissy_

Bellatrix threw her hands in the air. "What have I done now?" she snorted. She just hoped Lucius wasn't going to be there. Her nerves wouldn't be able to stand him.

When the dark witch arrived at Malfoy Manor she was immediately greeted by the house-elf. He bowed so deeply that his nose touched the floor.

"Mrs. Malfoy is awaiting Ms. Lestrange in the living room" he said.

"Thank you, Winky" she said and went directly to her sister.

Narcissa was perched on the leather sofa in her finest skirt and blazer and even though she was sitting, she managed to look down on her sister like a teacher who was awaiting a bad student.

"Tea?" the blonde witch asked with a raised eyebrow.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes at the look Narcissa gave her and sat down in the chair opposite her.

Narcissa handed her a cup and spoke: "So, I've talked to Gran … Hermione."

"No, you didn't!" That was certainly not what Bellatrix had expected. She got up and started to pace the room, constantly muttering "I can't believe you".

"Sit. Back. Down." Narcissa ordered and Bellatrix did so, tapping the heel of her foot furiously on the floor.

"Why on earth did you do that?" the dark witch asked.

"Because I felt you needed my help and I was painfully right" Narcissa said self-satisfied. "Care to explain how you could do nothing more than shove your relationship with your _ex_ into her face?"

Bellatrix shrugged and started to play with the bracelets on her wrist.

"No wonder that poor girl feels like she's been played. You need to talk to her. Tell her how you truly feel."

"It's no use. She won't believe me" Bellatrix murmured.

"You don't know that."

"She hasn't contacted me _once_ since she left" the dark witch said angrily.

"God, she's young, she's inexperienced and probably very hurt. You can't expect her to make the first move here."

The older sister crossed her arms and pouted.

"Bellatrix, don't let your insecurities ruin this. This is your first true chance to finally be with a woman and …"

"Shhh! Will you keep it down" Bellatrix whispered through gritted teeth.

"What?" Narcissa asked in confusion as her sister walked over to the door and looked through the crack into the study where Lucius could be heard roaming around and the blonde witch realized what this was about.

"Belle, he wouldn't care whether you're dating a man or …"

"Will you keep it down for fuck's sake!" Bellattix screamed.

"Fine. Whatever. All I am saying is that you're not someone to give up so easily. So pull yourself together and do something."

Bellatrix had sat back down again, but looked over to the door every now and then.

"No", she shook her head, "she just doesn't care about me."

"I highly doubt that."

"She left!" the dark witch screamed. "Just like that!" Bellatrix started to pace again. "It's just like it was with Cara" she whispered. "They all leave; just like that."

Narcissa looked at her sister. She saw her desperation, her hopelessness and she knew it was time. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought of what she was about to do and she nervously wet her dry lips before she spoke.

"Belle", her voice quivered slightly, "there is something I need you to know."

* * *

 **AN:** Haha, little cliffhanger here. Let's just say Bellatrix is in for an emotional ride.

So, I've passed a hundred followers. Wow, that's insane. And awesome! A big thank you to all of you!

 **Kigo Stories:** That's good to hear! I'm aiming for a slightly darker Minerva. She seems so restrained in a lot of ways that I feel there could be a twisted side to her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, Harry Potter still belongs to J.K. Rowling. Life's tough …

* * *

 _And they say she's in the Class A Team_

 _Stuck in her daydream_

 _Been this way since eighteen_

 _But lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting_

 _Crumbling like pastries and they scream_

 _The worst things in life come free to us_

 _(The A Team – Ed Sheeran)_

Narcissa Malfoy intertwined her own fingers nervously.

"She didn't leave you" she said, her voice more quiet than usual.

Her sister was not responding. She was standing at the window like a statue with her back turned towards her. Maybe she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear her, the blonde witch thought and so she spoke again more clearly.

"Cara. She didn't leave you."

The dark witch turned around in slow motion. She had absolutely no idea what her sister was talking about, but she knew she would not joke about this.

"I told you what happened back then" the dark witch said confused. "You know we wanted to run away together, but she never showed up." Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. Even after all these years it was still painful to say it out loud; painful and …. _embarrassing_.

The blonde witch didn't look at her sister, but focused on her perfectly polished pumps. Her hands were turning red from the force she used to press them together.

"Narcissa, what do you mean?" Bellatrix urged her.

"She never showed up because", she swallowed hard, "she is dead."

Silence.

Utter silence filled the room, but Bellatrix' heart was beating so loud she was sure it could be heard.

Narcissa looked up at her sister for the first time. She looked at a wide-eyed and –mouthed Bellatrix and she knew she was waiting for an explanation.

The blonde cleared her throat. "They killed her" she said.

"Who?" Bellatrix breathed barely audible.

"Father. And Rodolphus."

Bellatrix clutched her chest and let out a painful moan. She sounded like a deer that's been shot. It hurt. Her heart _literally_ hurt.

"No", she shook her head, "it can't be true."

She held onto the arm of the chair with a shaking hand as she tried to grasp what she had heard. She felt hot and cold at the same time, a thin layer of sweat spread across her forehead and she feared her legs might give away any second. "I think I'm gonna be sick" she said and hurried towards the bathroom.

Narcissa followed her and rubbed her back as her sister emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

The two sisters sat on the bathroom floor for a long time. Narcissa glanced at Bellatrix every now and then. She had her head leaned against the wall and her eyes shut tight. The blonde witch didn't know what to do other than hold her hand.

"Say something, please" she said after a while.

Bellatrix simply shook her head, at first slowly, then faster and faster as if she was in a trance.

"I'm sorry" Narcissa said.

The raven witch snatched her hand out of her sister's and stormed out of the bathroom. Before Narcissa could catch up with her, she turned around.

"How dare you", she screamed in fury, pulling her wand from her wand holster. "How fucking dare you keep this from me!"

Narcissa stood frozen as she feared her sister was about to fall into madness again any second. Bellatrix grabbed her by the collar of her blazer and smashed her into the wall.

"For thirty goddamn years I thought I'd been betrayed by the only person I ever loved and all the while you knew?" she said, her voice thick with emotion.

The door to the living room flew open.

"What on earth is going here?" Lucius screamed as he saw his wife being held up against the wall by her sister.

Bellatrix didn't pay him any attention. She leaned in closer. "You're lucky you're my sister right now" she whispered into Narcissa's ear. She let go of the blonde, who put a shaking hand to her heart. She was indeed lucky; that could have taken a worse turn.

Lucius made a step towards the dark witch. "I'm so sick of your games" he said and was about to grab her arm.

"Stupefy!" she yelled and sent Lucius flying into the wall next to his wife. She disapparated on the spot.

Hermione's last couple of days at the Burrow had been surprisingly bearable. After an awkward, but honest conversation with Ron they were slowly trying to rekindle their friendship or, at least, be civil with each other.

Tonight's dinner had been rather nice, but Hermione had a hard time engaging. The conversation with Narcissa Malfoy had given her a lot to think about. At first, she had been angry. Never had someone gotten so involved in her private life. It was just plain rude. She was annoyed that she not only had to deal with Bellatrix now, but apparently also with her sister. In the end it had stirred up a lot of emotions. One thing Narcissa had said, stuck with her in particular _._

 _Have you forgotten who my sister is and what she has done?_

Had she?

As she was curled up on the sofa and sipping on her tea, she looked over to Harry, her best friend, and it hit her. He had lost the only family he had left because of _her_. Sirius died at _her_ hands. Bellatrix was a murderess, a torturer. She had seen it herself, she had felt herself.

She had protected _Bellatrix Lestrange_ ; a death eater, Voldemort's right hand. She had come to her voluntarily again and again. She had slept with her.

Guilt.

Disgust.

Confusion.

She had also protected _Bella_. She had gotten a glimpse of the woman who was so different than she had expected. She had talked to someone who was so much more than just a loose cannon. She had kissed lips that were much gentler than she could have ever imagined.

It was hard to understand that this was one and the same person.

It was even harder to ignore how that person made her feel. One might wonder how she could ever fall for someone like Bellatrix, but to Hermione it wasn't so weird. She thought about the night it really started for her.

 _She had merely been a fifteen year old girl who broke into the Ministry with her friends, because Harry had had visions. It started off well, but only a few minutes after Harry had retrieved the prophecy they were surrounded by death eaters. The person they had originally come for, Sirius, was nowhere to be seen. It was a trap. She had suspected so all along._

 _Lucius Malfoy appeared and started to put on a show, truly believing Harry could be lured into handing him the prophecy. Her friends had their eyes fixated on the death eaters that were surrounding them from all sides. She probably should have done the same, but her eyes were fixated on the woman that slowly strutted onto the scene._

 _She had heard many stories about this infamous witch, but that night she saw her in the flesh for the first time. She felt incredibly nervous the second she saw her; only for all the wrong reasons._

 _She didn't remember much of the conversation between Malfoy and Harry. Bellatrix Lestrange captivated all of her attention. People would never suspect it of her, but she could be rather superficial when it came to women and the dark witch was definitely stunning. Locks even more wild than her own. Dark eyes full of mystery. Full red lips that spewed obscenities._

 _Bellatrix was raw, fierce, strong, fearless, bold. She was everything Hermione desired. Granted, she used these traits to achieve all the wrong goals, but still it was highly attractive._

 _She was torn out of her trance when Harry yelled "Now!" and everyone started to fire spells. Hermione's intellect kicked in quickly, trying to navigate her through the situation. They headed for that damned room. The death eaters had caught up with them quickly and were swirling all around them. Bellatrix was the fastest of them; her cackle echoing through the room._

 _A death eater grabbed Hermione. She looked around at her friends that were all held at wand point by death eaters, except for Harry. The dark witch had gone for Neville. How fitting. Wand at his throat, she pulled his head back and hissed something into his ear. For a second Hermione wondered how it would feel to be held up against the dark witch, have those lips graze her ear. Her core tightened at the mere thought of it; exciting and terrifying at the same time._

 _And then Sirius died and time stood still as she saw her best friend brake down over the death of his Godfather._

Even though she hated to admit it, Bellatrix hunted her ever since that night. She was the center of many wet dreams as Hermione was sure she would be an excellent lover. Little did she know back then that the dark witch would surpass her expectations by far one day. Hermione tried to push these fantasies aside, but she couldn't. Sometimes it bordered on an obsession and Hermione labeled it as just that: an obsessive attraction, purely sexual. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that there was a human being behind the façade; one that she could fall for.

The question what she was to do about that was something that had kept her up ever since her encounter with Narcissa. Unfortunately, it was a question books couldn't answer.

Bellatrix' days were filled with depression ever since she left Malfoy Manor. She had altered between being crawled up on the floor, the sofa, an uncomfortable chair or the pillow fortress on her bed. Her actions altered between screaming, sleeping, cutting and crying. She hadn't cried herself to sleep since she was a teenager but it happened constantly these days. She cried for her lover, for herself, for the life she could have had.

Today was the first day she felt somewhat clear-headed. She was still snuggled up on her bed, feeling too weak to get up. Her throat was dry from too little water and her stomach hollow from all the food she hadn't eaten. For the first couple of days Helga tried to make her eat something until she stupefied the poor elf through the door. She was smart enough to stay away from the dark witch ever since.

She saw Narcissa's owl landing on her window-sill for what felt like the hundredth time. Bellatrix had closed the fire place and so her sister had taken to bombarding her with letters. She hadn't answered a single one. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what she was supposed to feel.

Emotions rushed through her like the trains through King's Cross. She had been sad for the love she had lost. She had been furious how she had been wronged. She had been glad that the only thing that ever made her happy had not been a lie. She had been hopeful that Hermione could actually like her. She had been desperate because she had no idea where to go from here. When she locked her heart away thirty years ago, she had been convinced the topic was closed. Never had she imagined that someone would stir romantic feelings in her ever again.

Her thoughts wandered to that damned night that would, slowly but surely, change her back to her old self; someone who she thought had been long dead.

 _It had been the first big task since the mass breakout from Azkaban. After all these years the Dark Lord had not hesitated to choose her again. He still saw her as his best lieutenant. After all these years she had not hesitated to obey. She still saw herself as the ever dutiful servant. Lucius had been ordered at her side. Unpleasant, but it was to be expected. Azkaban did nourish her insanity and this mission was important._

 _On said night she put on one of her old signature dresses. She had to magically adjust it; it didn't fit her anymore. The elves at Malfoy Manor did some excellent cooking, but her body didn't respond as quickly as she had hoped. In fact, she could barely eat anything. Her stomach had yet to adjust. She way crazily hungry and had all the food available and yet she couldn't eat it. Just another torture in her life._

 _The preparations for this mission hadn't taken long. She still thought highly of herself and had no doubt they would easily get inside the Ministry; fight these kids easily. However, there would be an obstacle the dark witch hadn't anticipated._

 _As expected, they had no trouble breaking into the Ministry. The timing was on point and they didn't have to wait long before the Potter boy had retrieved the prophecy and it was time to strike. She let Lucius do the introductory talk. She much preferred actions over talking, especially these days. Words had left her many years ago. She slowly walked out of her hiding spot while Lucius was still blabbering, putting on a show; one of the few talents he had left. She didn't care much for shows._

 _As she got closer to the scene she focused on the Potter boy. She finally wanted to see this boy that had brought about her Lord's downfall. She knew that back then she had scrutinized him for a long time, ignoring everyone else; just kids. She knew she yelled obscenities at him like an animal, but she didn't remember much of that today, because sometime while the boy and the white rat were talking she let her eyes fly lazily over the other kids._

 _A firecrotch next to the Potter boy. Restrained and scared._

 _She recognized the Longbottom boy, who had the nerve to threaten her. Ridiculous._

 _Next to him, the joke of the Golden Trio. Pathetic._

 _Behind them a tall blondie. Cute and just as insane as herself, only on the other far end on the spectrum of insanity._

 _And then there was the last kid._

 _That last one._

 _She had not more than glanced at that last one as none of the previous had been worthy of her attention, but oh did her eyes snap back fast. That one was different. There was fear in her eyes, yes, but also pure determination. The girl's wand was directed at Lucius and herself and her hand did not shake once. While the other kids simply stood and awaited the outcome of Lucius' and Potter's conversation, she could see the wheels turning in that pretty head. Analyzing the situation, imagining possible turns, plotting escape plans._

 _Bellatrix noticed a sort of tingling in her stomach. What did people call it? Butterflies? Her chest tightened and suddenly her ribcage seemed too small for her. The dark witch's eyes dilated in terror at what was happening. Feelings. She_ felt _something. Life had made her forget what that was like and it terrified her. Time stopped and she forgot to breathe for a second. There was nothing more attractive to Bellatrix than a cool-headed, intelligent woman. Sanity to fight her insanity. Intellect to balance out her emotions._

 _But she had to come back to reality when the Potter boy called "Now!" and spells were fired, prophecies crashed to the floor and chaos broke loose._

 _The kids tried to flee; foolish kids. She knew where they were heading for: the Death Chamber. Bellatrix swirled through the air like black lightning in an attempt to catch one of the kids; anyone but the girl. If the girl would have to die that night, it wouldn't be at her hands._

 _Luckily the girl didn't die, but someone else did at her hands. If someone asked her, why she had killed Sirius that night the answer would be simple: hatred. She hated him just like she hated her sister;_ that _sister. In contrast to popular belief it wasn't because they were blood traitors. She hated them because they had been brave enough to do what she hadn't been able to. Seeing that girl and then seeing Sirius reminded her of everything she had missed and it triggered her hatred anew._

 _She thought that night had been the beginning of her end. When they got back from the Ministry everyone was in worry and fear of the Dark Lord's reaction, because they had failed. She, however, was still hung up on the girl. The Dark Lord was particularly hard on her in his punishment. She was the one he had the most faith in and so she was also the one he was most disappointed in. The Cruciatus Curse didn't bother her too much though. She had too little feelings left. The ones she did have left clinged to the image of the girl, finding some sort of comfort in it._

 _It wasn't until late into the night, when she was alone in her chambers, that it hit her. The resemblance. Memories of another girl knocked on the door and demanded to be heard. With them came a whole flood of memories. Memories of her father, Andromeda leaving, more memories of that girl, a terrified little Cissy, more memories of that girl, memories of her mother, her damned disgusting mother. It was too much to bear._

 _Whenever she couldn't torture someone, she turned to sex as a coping strategy. And when no one was around, her own body would have to do. She didn't remember whose name she screamed when she came that night, only that it didn't feel as good as it should have._

Memories hunted her ever since. Mostly they would only scratch at the surface, but sometimes they would attack with full force and knock her out. Back then she was glad to be a death eater. Torture, pain and death were the only thing that kept the memories at bay. Otherwise, that night would have been her end; of that she was sure.

Today, for the first time, she thought it might have been her beginning.

* * *

 **AN:** A cookie for a review? Yes?

 **Justine:** I really like your reviews. They point me to things I haven't thought of before. Thank you for taking the time to write them! I hope you like the memories of the battle of the Ministry.

Bella and Hermione are definitely complete opposites in certain aspects. Hermione is very head-driven while Bella is rather driven by her emotions and intuition. It is what attracts them to each other in the first place, but it also makes a relationship very difficult.

I have to say I've really fallen in love with Narcissa as the protective sister. I've also been wondering how she acted while Bella was with Cara. I don't think she would have been this protective. You have to remember that she's four years younger than Bellatrix. So she was only nine when Bella and Cara started dating. Her means to protect Bella would have been very limited. I think Narcissa feels guilty. She thinks she wasn't protective enough of her sister at certain points in her life and this is her way of making up for that.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. Just borrowing these amazing characters.

* * *

 _They say that time's supposed to heal ya_

 _But I ain't done much healing_

 _(Hello – Adele)_

 _..._

The frantic tapping sound made Hermione look up. Minerva's owl was hammering her beak against the window pane like a maniac. Hermione got up quickly and took the letter from the owl before the glass would crack. The Scottish witch asked her to come to meet her in office today. Hermione wasn't thrilled at all. She had planned to spend the day with her book and, hopefully, figure out what to do about Bellatrix, but she knew there was no use in ignoring Minerva. The witch was stern. So she made her way to Hogwarts.

...

The office was painfully quiet. Classes were in full swing and so the corridors were swept empty of student's chatter that would usually penetrate through the door. Normally it would bother her, but today Minerva regretted the absence of it. She could do with some distraction from her own thoughts. Occasionally she had thought to seek Bellatrix out, but discarded that idea quickly. What was she supposed to say after what she had done? And what had she even done? The dark witch hadn't exactly told her off. You couldn't deny she had enjoyed it. At least that's what Minerva kept telling herself. In reality she was so afraid to learn that Bellatrix didn't feel the same about their encounter that she had changed her nightly hunting route, so she wouldn't run into her again.

She shifted her thoughts to the conversation that lay ahead of her; unfortunately it didn't brighten her mood, but she needed to be in the loop of things as much as possible.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in" Minerva said more seriously than she had intended. Hermione walked in and the image of the young witch didn't light up her mood like it usually did. Minerva tried to be polite and offered her a seat and the obligatory cup of tea.

Hermione had noticed the stern tone in Minerva's voice. She wondered what she was in for and she didn't like that feeling at all. She liked Minerva a lot, but it was difficult to get past the student-teacher relationship sometimes.

"I haven't heard from you in quite a while. I was worried for you, Hermione" Minerva said. _I was worried Bellatrix told you_ , Minerva thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I completely forgot."

"Am I right in assuming that your adventures are over then?" _They better be._

"Yes, definitely." _If you tell me how to get that witch off my mind._

"And did you find out what you were looking for?" _How far did you go with her?_

"Yes, you could say that." _I'm more confused than I was before._

"That's good to hear." _Good to hear we're not shagging the same woman._

The young witch looked questioningly at Minerva. "That's it? You're not going to try to persuade me to join your staff?" she asked.

"Oh, I know a lost cause when I see it. It's clear you're not very interested in teaching and that's fine. You need to find your own path, Hermione." _You need to stay away from me or I'm going to lose it._

"Yeah, I don't think it's the right thing for me. I'm just glad to hear you're fine with it. I feared it might stand between us if I declined."

"God no. Don't worry about it. Everything's fine. If you will excuse me now?"

"Yes, of course" Hermione said a little irritated.

The witches parted and Minerva closed the door in relief. The young witch caused some unpleasant feelings in her. Was it jealousy? Or hurt pride? She just didn't like when other people touched what she considered her's.

...

The conversation with Minerva had left Hermione quite irritated. The witch had been so keen to get her to teach at Hogwarts that she had not expected her to drop the topic so easily now. She had also acted colder towards her than she usually did. Maybe she was mad that she declined the offer after all? Hopefully that was going to pass. She really couldn't bother with that now. She was however happy that the witch believed her when she said she wouldn't have any more "encounters". Minerva would have wanted to know what she was up to eventually.

...

Bellatrix' moment of clear-headedness had unfortunately been just that; a moment, one among many. Desperation was ever so present as her life crumbled in front of her eyes. For the first time in many years she stopped fighting against herself and let memories come and go. She remembered the day her parents found out she had been dating Cara, a _girl_ , on top of that a _Mudblood_ as they liked to say. She remembered the day she had packed all of her belongings and was ready to leave her family forever. For hours she had waited in the dark until she had to admit to herself that she had been stood up. It had been an excellent opportunity for her pureblood-supremacist family to convince her of the Dark Lord's cause. Her father's words ringed in her ears as if it was yesterday.

 _See, Bellatrix, these people are evil through and through. They have no respect for us and only use us for their own personal gain. I know you're hurt right now, my little girl, but sometimes you have to experience things for yourself to understand._

She thought she did understand back then. She had been determined to become the best witch in the country and fight all of these foul creatures. It had been a perfect opportunity to revenge herself for Cara's betrayal. At least that's what it had been at the beginning. As the years went on and insanity took a hold of her, she forgot more and more why she was doing what she was doing. It became all about mayhem; a perfect way to flee from herself. Some time after the war she started to feel disgusted by her actions. As the world became quieter a tiny voice in her mind became louder, questioning her actions and reasons, telling her how foolish it was to hate all half-bloods and muggle-borns. She was smarter than that. The fact that her original reason to join "the cause" had been a complete lie made her feel even worse.

However, in the course of this week Bellatrix had at least come to one conclusion: She needed Narcissa. She was still angry at her, but she needed her nonetheless. She couldn't navigate herself through this maze on her own. And despite the fact that her sister had lied to her for so many years, she was still the only one who had never truly left her side.

Reluctantly she took Lennard from her stomach, who was sleeping peacefully, and got out of bed. She had not moved for such a long time that her body felt incredibly heavy. But there was a conversation that needed to be held.

...

By the look on Narcissa's face Bellatrix knew she looked a mess, which was no surprise after these past days. She was in desperate need of a meal as well as some cleansing and glamour charms, but she really didn't care about her looks at all at the moment.

Narcissa rose from her seat, but remained standing still. All she really wanted to do was to scream _I am sorry_ , but sometimes _sorry_ doesn't mean a thing. So she said the second thing that had come to her mind when her sister arrived.

"I thought you would never want to see me again" she said.

"And only a few years back that would have been the case" Bellatrix said seriously. "And I might have spent some time crucioing you" she added.

Narcissa shuddered at the truth of these words. "And why don't you now?" she asked.

The dark witch took a deep breath, her inner struggle written all over her face. "I love you. I've wasted too many years of my life with hatred." She shrugged her shoulders in surrender. "And … I'm lonely" she whispered. "I need you, Cissy. I'm angry, but I need you."

The blonde was speechless. Never had her sister been so forward with her emotions. She could only imagine how hard that had to be for her.

"I love you, too, Belle" she breathed, tears threatening to spill.

The older sister had to wipe away a few tears of her own.

"You have to tell me something, though" she said.

"Anything."

"Why? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, when they realized that I had witnessed the … _murder_ , father made it very clear to me that I was not to speak of it to anybody ever." Narcissa felt a lump constricting her throat. "You know he had his ways" she added quietly. "I was scared."

Oh yes, Bellatrix knew he had his ways. For how much her father hated Muggles he found rather great joy in their punishment techniques, beatings in particular.

"And then", Narcissa continued, "when our parents died, you were already in so deep that there was no reaching through."

Bellatrix knew that what her sister meant was _You were already such an insane psychotic bitch_ and that was true. At some point she had lost all touch with herself and the people around her.

"I'm sorry, Belle, I really am." Narcissa carefully took her sister's hand and was surprised when she found no resistance at all.

"What did they do with her body?" Bellatrix asked.

Narcissa noticed the slight shaking in her sister's voice, but unfortunately this was a question she couldn't answer.

"I don't know" the blonde said apologetically.

"Great" Bellatrix crossed her arms and started to pace. She dug the nails of her right hand into her arm to keep control of her emotions. "I just want to say goodbye" she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Narcissa stood there like a lost child. Seeing her sister like this was still new to her and she didn't always know how to deal with it. She wanted to comfort her, but sometimes she wasn't sure that her sister wouldn't snap back to her insane self any second. However, she did have an idea.

"Why don't you just apparate?" she asked.

"How on earth am I supposed to apparate when I don't know where to, dear sister?"

"Do you remember when we went home after my first year at Hogwarts and I got lost at the station? You started to panic and apparated to me just by thinking really hard of me."

"Yeah, I remember, but do you think that works with a … dead person?"

"I don't know. But it's worth a try, don't you think?"

"Yeah", Bellatrix nodded, "ok. Would you come with me?"

"Of course" the younger witch smiled.

Bellatrix took her sister's hand, closed her eyes and tried to bring the image of Cara to the forefront of her mind. After a few seconds she felt the familiar tugging of apparition.

...

Wind was whipping past her face, cool and fresh. She felt Narcissa's eyes on her, but she barely dared to open her own, afraid of what she might find. When she finally did open her eyes, she saw that they were at the seaside. It was beautiful here, really. It was nothing special; just the deep green grass, high cliffs and the sound of waves clashing against them with full force. Nature in its most raw and wild form.

She overlooked the area for any sign of a grave, but there was none. She let go of her sister's hand and carefully walked across the grass. Bellatrix was only a few meters away from the edge of the cliff when she came to a sudden stop. A shiver spread across her spine and an all-consuming warm feeling took over her body and heart. This was it. This was the grave. There was no visible indication, but she felt it. Two souls bound by love and separated by force would always recognize each other, even in death. Images flashed before closed eyes. Two hands intertwined, dark eyes meeting green eyes, soft lips finding soft lips, arms so slim holding her in an embrace so strong, young girl's laughter on a summer's day, words whispered into her ear under the night sky promising eternal love. Surrender brought her to her knees, fingers digging into the earth under which her love lay. Silent tears streamed down pale cheeks. Hands desperately moved earth aside.

"Bella? Bella!" a voice called unheard by the dark witch. Footsteps were quickly coming closer. Strong arms wrapped around her and tried to pulled her away with all force. Dark curls were buried in blond waves.

Narcissa held her sister tight and rocked her back and forth like a child as screams of pain were carried across the sea.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, cookies for everyone who's reviewed I get really excited whenever s.o. reviews, so thanks! If you have any suggestions for the story, anything you would like to happen, please let me know and I'll see if I can incorporate it. Also, I realize I have taken some liberties here with Apparition, but you know what they say: It's my party and I'll apparate if I want to ;)

Dragul: Narcissa has slowly become one of my favourite characters as well. Definitly plan to keep her involved. And I just like to think that there is at least one person left who cares about Bella.

TiAdoro914: Thanks for the tip! I will also change that in the previous chapters eventually.

LthWolf: An Invisibility Cloak only makes you invisible, not soundless ;) Hermione was going through Bella's drawers.

weemle10: Aw, thank you! I'm afraid updates won't be very regular. I have a lot of stuff to do for Uni ….

Justine: Girl, are you trying to outdo yourself? Your reviews just keep getting better I like what you say about emotions vs. morals. That's where it gets interesting. What do you do when you feel something you don't want to or think you shouldn't feel.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Well, what can I say other than that I'm sorry that it's been so long. I'm not in the best place at the moment and creativity doesn't come easy and I don't want to upload rubbish. Frankly, I already wasn't too happy with the last chapter, at the same time I don't want to leave you hanging forever. But the announcement of the eight Harry Potter book (yeah!) gave me some motivation, so here we go.

* * *

 _Word don't ever seem to come out right_

 _But I still mean them_

 _You're the only image in my mind_

 _So I still see you around_

 _(I miss you – Beyoncé)_

…

The tears on her cheeks had turned into salt crusts from the sharp wind mercilessly whipping past her face. She looked up at her sister whose neatly tied bun had dissolved into nothing more than a bird's nest.

"Are you really gonna play the posh pureblood, now?"

Narcissa looked between the grass and her light grey skirt. "Oh alright" she sighed and conjured a small blue blanket to sit down on.

Bellatrix snorted at the act. As gorgeous as Narcissa was, her obsession with appearance could be rather annoying.

"Where are we?" the dark witch asked.

The blonde took out her wand and with a few flicks glistening golden lines appeared to form a map.

"New Zealand" was Narcissa's assessment.

"Jesus fucking Christ, they've moved her to the other side of the world. Damn it!" Bellatrix started to pull patches of grass out of the ground.

Narcissa concealed her surprise at her sister's use of this Muggle terminology. It must have been decades since she had talked that way. Maybe she truly was changing. As horrible as the situation was, she enjoyed the subtle changes she had noticed in her sister.

"It's really only a stone's throw away when you use Apparition. And now that you know where she lies you can come back anytime" Narcissa tried to console her.

"You know that's not true, Cissy. If I want to make it work with Hermione I have to let it go."

"I know. I'm just glad _you_ know that and I don't have to break it down for you and bear the consequences for telling you you're wrong."

That actually made Bellatrix laugh. She really had quite the reputation even with her own sister.

After a few moments of silence Bellatrix rose from the ground.

"I think it's time to go, sis."

She took the crystal wand necklace from her neck and dug a little hole in the earth where she buried it.

Narcissa stood, too, and pointed her wand at the place where Cara lay. She glanced at her sister who nodded her approval.

A small polished black grave stone appeared. In silver writing it read:

 _Here lies Cara Benett_

 _In love,_

 _B &N_

…

Narcissa enjoyed the way the thick curls felt beneath her hand as she patted them rhythmically. She had flung one arm around her sister who rested her head on her shoulder. This moment, this entire day, made her reminisce about their youth. She wouldn't be able to count the times they been snuggled up like this in one of their beds at Hogwarts. Back then the world seemed to close in on them. When relationships became unstable, when sisters broke the sacred bond and home turned into hell they only had each other. Even though they had gotten caught up in a war and prison had ripped them apart for so many years, when it came down to it, they still only had each other. Neither of them had vocalized it, but over the past weeks that old bond had been filled with life again and no man, no woman could ever come between them. Although some were always naïve enough to try.

Someone was coughing.

Narcissa opened her eyes to see her husband standing in the doorway.

"What", he gestured helplessly between her and Bellatrix, "is this?"

"What does it look like?"

"I would like to go to bed" he sighed.

"As you can see your spot is already taken and I highly doubt Bella would fancy a threesome involving you."

She couldn't hold back a deep throaty laughter when she saw Lucius' horror-stricken face.

"Narcissa, that is _not_ funny."

"Oh, loosen up, will you" she rolled her eyes. "The elf has made the bed in the guestroom."

"This is _my_ house. I will not sleep in the guest room in my own house."

"You're going to have to. She's had a terrible time these past weeks; she needs me." Narcissa looked at the sleeping form of her sister and quietly she added "And I need her."

Lucius was speechless, as he was so often recently. He made to leave and just as he was about to walk through the door he turned around once more.

"When did I lose you?" he asked.

"When you lost yourself" Narcissa said and knew that in that moment something ended.

The door closed.

She held onto Bellatrix even tighter.

…

Narcissa smirked as her sister walked into the kitchen the next morning. She looked a mess. Her hair always turned into a warzone overnight and she never bothered to make herself presentable before breakfast.

Bellatrix sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee. Yesterday had worn her out emotionally. She felt drained, but also relieved. Her vision was a little clearer today.

The kitchen door opened again and Lucius was standing there. He took one look at his sister in law and opened his mouth to say something, but apparently he had no idea what to say, because after looking helplessly at Narcissa he left, blushing like a child.

"How on earth can you stand him?" Bellatrix asked.

"I can't" Narcissa swallowed. "Not anymore. I think I need to leave."

"Oh." Bellatrix reached over to take her sister's hand. "I had no idea it was this serious. I'm sorry, I guess."

"Don't be" the blonde shook her head. "I stopped loving him a long time ago. I was just too paralyzed to draw the consequences."

Bellatrix looked the blonde up and down. "Well, you're not going to sit on the shelve for very long."

"I'm old, Bella" Narcissa snorted.

"So am I and look at the young hottie that is interested in me" Bellatrix winked.

"Talking of that young hottie", Narcissa laughed, "what are you going to do about her?"

"Well, I guess I should explain the situation and … show her my _feelings_."

Bellatrix looked as if that last word alone could make her vomit.

"It's going to be worth it, Belle" her sister encouraged her.

"It better be" Bellatrix pouted. "Oh fuck it, I better get this over with today before I change my mind." She left the kitchen and headed for the fireplace, her cup of coffee still in hand; she would need caffeine today.

Just before she stepped into the fireplace she exclaimed "I'll bring it back in one piece" as she was sure her sister was already worried for her precious china. _Good luck_ was the last thing she heard before green flames swallowed her.

…

„Good afternoon, girlie".

A shiver spread through Hermione's spine. That low and husky voice should be like a stranger's voice to her; if anything it should make her fell scared. And yet, it sounded so familiar to her, already.

Slowly she looked up from the newspaper she had been reading. Bellatrix was standing in the doorway. She wore, not surprisingly, a black cloak and had her hands in its pockets. From underneath the cloak did not fall the usual wide flowing skirt, but a pair of black stockings. Who would have thought Madame Lestrange owned a minidress?

"It's quite a risk for you to come here" she addressed the older witch.

"It's always been a risk for me to go anywhere", Bellatrix shrugged. "Besides, according to that ridiculous clock downstairs we will be alone for a while."

Hermione nodded with a little smile. That clock was ridiculous indeed. "What do you want?" she asked staring back into the newpaper in an effort to look like she didn't care.

"You."

"Really?" Hermione's voice was full of mockery. "Are you sure you actually want me and not rather that freckle-face? I'm not one for role play, you know."

There was a rustling noise that made her take her eyes off the newspaper again. And what she saw made her mouth run dry. Bellatrix' cloak was lying around her feet on the floor. Hermione's eyes wandered from black ankle boots over legs in stockings up to black lacy panties and a matching braw. Bellatrix was just as curvaceous as she had imagined and it set fire to her core. She was a slut for a beautiful woman and she hated it.

The raven witch strutted towards her, stopping just a couple of meters in front of the bed.

"Make love to me" a low voice husked and dark eyes looked expectantly at her.

Hermione's heartbeat quickened. She had expected some sort of vulgarity but not this. From the way Bellatrix looked at her and twisted her own fingers, not knowing where to put them, she could tell the other witch was sincere – and quite nervous. So was Hermione. Her first night with Bellatrix made her experience feelings she had never felt before and it left her insecure in her own qualities as a lover. Forty-eight years of experience were hard to beat, she figured. But now was not the time for self-doubt. She walked over to Bellatrix and took her hands, but barely dared to look her in the eyes.

Bellatrix leaned into her. "You know, sometimes you need to turn off that brilliant brain of yours and just feel" she whispered.

Hermione took a deep breath and walked around the witch, letting her hand run over her stomach. She kissed along a pale shoulder while her hands traced down the woman's silhouette. Her hand slid between the witch's legs from behind, stroking her through her panties.

"Oh bloody hell, woman" Bellatrix breathed. Her head rested on Hermione's shoulder, giving her an excellent view of her heavily rising and falling chest.

As Hermione nibbled on soft skin, she remembered Narcissa's words. _Bellatrix isn't very skilled in showing emotions, at least not positive ones._ With the outmost annoyance she realized that they were about to make a mistake. This may be Bellatrix' way to show she cared, but it wouldn't solve anything. It took all of Hermione's self-restrain, but she picked up Bella's coat and put it back on her shoulders. As the witch turned around she could see hurt and anger written all over her face.

"No, don't even go there." Hermione wanted to stop the thoughts of self-doubt and suspicion before they could even implant themselves in the woman's head. "I would love to …. Trust me. But we've already moved too fast once. We're too smart to make the same mistake twice, don't you think?"

"Well, we're definitely smart" Bellatrix chuckled weirdly. Although she tried not to let her nervousness show, there her voice quavered. Cissa had once told her that sex wasn't always the best way to show feelings. Unfortunately, she hadn't told her how to do it instead. She walked over to the bed where Hermione had sat down. She let herself sink onto the soft mattress without looking at the girl. This was completely out of her comfort zone, but she knew it was on her to explain something.

She cleared her throat. "I am … _sorry_." The words felt strange in her mouth. Her heart was racing. She had gone on countless raids, her life had been in danger every other week, but _this_ was making her nervous. Pathetic. "Fuck, I have no idea how to do this" she muttered annoyed with herself.

"If it's any consolation, I'm not really an expert when it comes to emotions either" the girl said and it actually made her feel a bit better.

"I'm sorry for what happened the other night" she continued. "Doesn't mean I don't care about you."

The girl took her hand in both hands and squeezed it tightly. Such a small gesture, but it teared down a barrier and words poured out of her.

"When I first saw you, it stirred something up. I started to remember every damn thing and I never thought I would have to deal with all of this bullshit. And I never thought you would actually come to me and when you did I didn't know how to handle it. It was so overwhelming and I …" Bellatrix interrupted herself when a sob broke from her throat. Her cheeks felt wet. Was she crying? Her vision became blurry. God, she was _actually_ crying. A slender hand caressed her head and Bellatrix let herself be pulled against a warm shoulder. Hermione leaned back onto the bed and pulled her down with her. She rested her head on the girl's chest and could hear the strong heartbeat. It felt strange this intimacy, but oh so good.

Hermione couldn't help but smirk as she looked down at Bellatrix. Her eyes were closed; the chest that had shook with sobs only minutes ago was now rising and falling peacefully. What a strange sight they had to be; the golden girl with the last, the best lieutenant in her arms in a bed at the Burrow. The irony of life.

Downstairs the clock hand moved to announce the arrival of one famous boy. Harry Potter was in the final stages of his studies and liked to come home earlier whenever he could. He enjoyed the silence and peace when it was only Hermione and him at the Burrow. He loved the Weasly family dearly, but having grown up in a cupboard, it could be overwhelming at times. He shed his coat and his shoes and headed upstairs for his best friend who was surely curled up in her bed with a book again.

The door to her room was open, no need to knock, so he walked in and stopped dead in his track right away. He had clearly been working too much lately. His mind was playing tricks on him. He stepped back into the corridor. Shutting his eyes tight he shook his head, but to no avail. He wasn't hallucinating.

Bellatrix Lestrange was alive and she was here; in the arms of his best friend who was gently caressing the woman's hair. He was so shocked by this highly surreal image that he didn't even think to grab his wand. Instead he cleared his throat.

Hermione's eyes shot open and she looked just as shocked as Harry.

"Harry, I … can explain" Hermione forced the words out of her mouth. "If you could give me a minute" she gestured towards the half-naked woman.

Harry blushed profoundly and simply nodded before he slowly walked away. Thank God Harry was as stuck-up as he was. It gave her time.

"Bella!" she shook the woman more violently than she would have liked to. The woman looked up at her with sleepy eyes.

"Harry's here. He's seen you. He's downstairs now, but …" before she could finish Bellatrix was wide awake and up on her feet. Some death-eater qualities had never left her.

"Contact Narcissa immediately" Bellatrix instructed mechanically as she buttoned up her coat. "The Aurors won't suspect me at Black Manor. They will go to Malfoy Manor or Lestrange Manor first. Tell her I'm in my hiding place and to keep me updated."

"You're hiding place? Where is that?"

"How well trained are you in Occlumency?" Bellatrix asked.

"Barely" Hermione confessed.

"Then it's better you don't know. I'm sure these bloody Aurors will try to get every little fucking thing out of you."

"Bella, will I ever see you again?"

"Well, if you manage to keep the pity boy in check and the Aurors off my ass, feel free to apparate."

Bellatrix took her hand and pressed it against her cheek. "You know you can apparate to me if you have enough love for me, don't you pet?"

"Bella, I …"

"Shhh" Bellatrix cupped her cheek "we'll see, pet."

"Hermione?" Harry's voice sounded through the house.

Alarmed she looked towards the corridor. Mere seconds and Harry would come upstairs again, she was sure, but when she looked back to Bellatrix, the witch was already gone.

* * *

 **A/N:** I need your help! Does anybody have an idea what Hermione should do job wise? I'm not sure I want her to do the usual Ministry thing, but I also don't really know what other jobs she could do.

Whew, I didn't expect Minerva to gain so much dislike. It's funny because she's actually one of my favourite characters, but she just turned out to be darker in this story.

TiAdoro914: Yes! Cannot wait for you to start a Cissamione story! There are not enough out there and a lot are quite short or left unfinished.

LtheWolf: Yeah, I don't think jealousy is the right word, but I couldn't find a better one :D I don't think she's jealous in the sense that she's really interested in Bella and therefore doesn't want her to be involved with anyone else. It's more a case of control and possession. You know how kids toss their toy away and then want it back all of a sudden when another kid plays with it? Yeah …


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

 _I never knew daylight could be so violent_

 _A revelation in the light of day_

 _You can't choose what stays and what fades away_

 _(Florence and the Machine – No light, no light)_

…

A shaking hand rested over her heart. Her mind was somewhere far away, unresponsive.

"Honey?"

Lucius Malfoy had never seen his wife like this. She had always been the embodiment of control.

A few minutes ago Hermione Granger's patronus had come into the room and with it one of his wife's greatest fears.

 _Harry knows about Bella. She's in her hiding place._

The words still lingered in the room.

" _Narcissa_."

She snapped out of her trance. "We need to clear the manor of any traces of her. Both of them" she ordered.

Lucius nodded. A thousand questions were running through his head. How could Harry Potter possibly know about Bellatrix' survival? Why does Hermione Granger of all people notify them? Why does she call his sister-in-law _Bella_ and why is his wife not at all astonished by any of this? He was a Malfoy, though. They didn't ask questions when it wasn't the right time. They did what they had to.

…

The sharp, hard end dug deeply into her skin, about to cut into it any moment.

""Where is she?"

A furious Harry Potter had his wand directly at her throat. He was screaming, his wand arm shaking.

"I don't know" she responded for the hundredth time.

Her best friend grabbed her by the collar and pushed her into the wall.

"You tell me where that bitch went!" he screamed in her face.

Tears started to fall and her body began to tremble. She had never been so afraid of someone she loved.

From one moment to the next she felt dizzy. Her vision became blurry.

She heard screams in her head.

The smell of dead flesh stung in her nose.

She could see spells flying all around.

The battle.

It came right back to life in front of her eyes.

She remembered her therapist's words. _Take deep breaths. Focus your gaze on something. Move your limbs. Ground yourself. Remember where you are right now._

She tried to move but Harry's grip on her was strong.

"Harry?" A female voice sounded and out of pure surprise, he let go off her. She supported herself against the wall as she came back to reality and tried to slow her heartbeat to a normal pace.

"What on earth are you doing?" Ginny asked.

"You should ask her that" Harry fumed and stormed out of the room.

Hermione was on his heels, ignoring the trembling in her bones.

"Where are you going Harry? Harry! What are you gonna do? Please, don't go to the Aurors, I beg you Harry."

Harry stopped and looked at her with irritation. "Why do you care so much what happens to her? Is it really that good?"

He tried to mock her, but it didn't work. Shame was a very foreign feeling to her.

"It's not just about sex", she said and hoped she needn't say more, because on some level she had barely acknowledged it herself.

Harry understood what she was trying to say. "My God, you've fallen for her", he stated incredulous, "I can't believe you."

He left and with him the bubble Hermione had been living under these past weeks. Everything became real in this moment and she couldn't help but cry. Ginny, the ever calm and patient rock in her life, took her in her arms without asking any questions.

When she had calmed down, her friend sat her down and made them both some tea. A good cup of tea was a necessity to get through any serious conversation, according to Mrs. Weasly. And so for the first time Hermione told someone everything that had happened. From the very first time she saw Bellatrix in the Ministry of Magic and the feelings this had stirred in her, to their encounter at the battle, her visits to Black Manor and the start of their romance. Ginny didn't say a word, but let Hermione speak freely. When she finished, she sighed in relief. It felt good to finally say everything out loud.

"What do you think, Ginny?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. It's strange and a lot to process."

"Yes, it is. I'm not sure I've processed it myself."

"Hermione, when you speak of her, you make her sound like she is this incredible woman. I'm sure there are good sides to her, otherwise you wouldn't even have started this, I'm sure, but have you forgotten everything else?"

"No. And I do struggle with it, but I just don't think things are that black and white. We all have our history, Ginny."

"That's not an excuse for murdering people!"

"Of course it's not! She's made horrible mistakes. I'm not excusing that and neither is she. But it's not as simple as people like Harry like to make it."

"Maybe, but Hermione, we're talking about _murder_ , _torture_! How can you see past that?"

It was the one question Hermione had no straight answer to, because there just wasn't one. It was complex and she had no real answer other than when she was with Bellatrix she just didn't see a torturer, a murderess.

"She's changed." It was the closest thing to an answer she could come up with.

Ginny only huffed.

"You don't know her the way I do." Hermione tried to find a way to explain what this was like for her. "Have you ever met someone" she started "that's like a magnet to you? That you can't help coming back to? I know she is far from perfect, but I can't dismiss what's between us. I just", she swallowed hard, " _can't_."

The redhead nodded reluctantly.

"Do you hate me, Ginny?"

Ginny shook her head. "Look, I'm not gonna act like understand every aspect of this, but I know you and I trust your judgement."

"Thank you", Hermione whispered and she was already close to tears again.

"Oh Merlin, come here, waterfalls" Ginny smiled and hugged her again. As she looked over the brunette's shoulder she saw a tall grey owl land on the window sill.

"Whose owl is that", she wondered and let go of Hermione. "There's your name on the envelope."

Hermione took the letter from the owl and opened it. "It's from Mrs. Malfoy" she said.

"You're friends with her now, too?", Ginny asked not without a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Not exactly. She wants to meet me in a Muggle café" Hermione said irritated. She shrugged her shoulders. "These Black women are full of surprises, let me tell you."

She put on her cloak and before she left, she addressed Ginny once more.

"Will you talk to Harry?"

Ginny nodded. "But I can't promise anything. You know how he is."

"I know."

…

In a completely different place, known to only one person alive, another witch changed between states of sheer panic and utter resignation. Currently it was the latter.

Bellatrix sat on a couch in one of the few rooms of her hiding place. The room was pitch-black except for the flames of some torches. She had just cast another heating charm on herself. These places had been set up in a hurry with the First Wizarding War on the horizon and lacked some of the basic things one needed for everyday life, like clothes. And now Bellatrix sat in a dark, cave like place in nothing but her finest lingerie and a cloak that was hardly thick enough to keep her warm.

When she first arrived here, she had almost lost it, terrified of what was about to come. It took all of her will power not to blow this place up. Now, she felt strangely calm. This was the moment she had been afraid of these past couple of months. The moment she would be discovered by someone who would present her to the Aurors on a silver platter; something Potter would love to do, of that she was sure.

Now she was trying to prepare herself mentally for the moment the Aurors would tear this place apart, chain her and bring her to Azakaban – again. This _was_ a high security place, but she was no fool. No place, not matter how highly protected it was, was completely untraceable. It was only a matter of time.

…

By the time Hermione arrived at the café where she was supposed to meet Mrs. Malfoy her nerves where thin. Not knowing what Harry was going to do drove her to the edge of a nervous breakdown and travelling thirty minutes through the crowded city didn't help.

She felt uncomfortable the minute she entered the small café. It was very noble – she should have known. She had never cared for clothes and appearance and still, she felt out of place and small in such an elegant environment. She felt even smaller when she spotted the blonde she was supposed to meet as all of their previous encounters had been very unpleasant.

"Mrs. Malfoy" she greeted the other woman and sat down at a small glass table in the far corner of the café.

The witch nodded her greeting. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice" she said.

Hermione relaxed a bit. This was a far nicer tone than she had expected.

"I've already ordered two cups of coffee. I hope that is alright?" the blonde asked.

"Of course".

They sat in silence. Mrs. Malfoy carefully folded her napkin which, according to the deep lines in it, she had already done a few times before Hermione's arrival. Neither of them seemed to want to talk about the recent events.

Hermione couldn't help her curiosity and desperately needed to break this uncomfortable silence. "Why did you want to meet in a Muggle café of all places?", she asked.

"I thought it might be safer since no one knows us here."

"How did you find this place?", Hermione asked because she just couldn't imagine Narcissa Malfoy going through a London travel guide in an effort to find a noble Muggle café.

"The three of us used to come here quite often", she said.

"The three of you?"

"Do I really need to say it?" she raised her eyebrow at Hermione's confusion.

"Oh, I see" and Hermione realized who the third person must have been. "I hadn't expected you to have been friends."

"She was a very nice girl", Mrs. Malfoy shrugged. "Like it or not."

Hermione blushed because the witch had hit a sensitive spot and she didn't need to look at her to know that she was smirking.

The waiter finally arrived with their order.

"So", Mrs. Malfoy took a sip of the hot liquid, "will he hand her in?"

"I don't know", Hermione swallowed, "he was furious and left."

"We have erased any traces of her" the blonde said in a low voice and her gaze went somewhere beyond Hermione as she did so.

Hermione thought she saw a hint of sadness on the older woman's face.

"Mrs. Malfoy?" she tried to break the witch's trance.

"Narcissa."

Hermione nodded. "You and Bellatrix, you're very close, aren't you?"

"Yes. We have been for most of our lives. Azkaban … made our relationship very complicated for a long time. I felt very estranged from her when she came back, although, primarily I was just happy to have her home again." She sighed and shook her head a bit. "I'm sorry. I'm blabbering. So yes, we're very close."

"I'm sorry" Hermione said.

"Beg my pardon?"

"This is all my fault."

"Nonsense. You both need to stop blaming yourself for things that are out of your hands."

Hermione made to say something. She wondered what the witch was referring to on Bellatrix' part, but she didn't dare to ask.

"You don't hate me?"

"I could count on one hand the people who have moved my sister they way you have. How could I hate you?"

Again, Hermione didn't know how to respond. She hadn't realized she had such an impact on Bellatrix. In contrast, sometimes, she wondered if the witch saw them as equals.

"So what are we gonna do?" she asked.

"We wait. It all depends on your friend, now."

"Do you know what hiding place she meant? Where it is?"

"I don't actually."

Narcissa smiled at the surprise written on the girl's face. "All high profile death eaters had one. They were created shortly before the First Wizarding War. Out of security reasons only the death eater in question and … _he_ knew where it was located" she explained.

The young witch looked intrigued at the new information, but also disappointed.

"I thought you knew where it was" she said.

"I'm sure you know you could apparate to her?"

"Yes." Hermione looked down on her hands that were clutching the cup of coffee tightly.

"You are afraid you won't be able to", Narcissa stated. "Or … are you rather afraid that you _will_ be able to?"

"Well, I haven't exactly chosen someone easy to fall for."

"True", Naricssa agreed, "but those people are usually the ones most worth fighting for, if you ask me."

Hermione gasped and brushed away a tear. "It's just, now that she's gone I realize how much I want her. I've never experienced this."

"Is she your first?"

Hermione shook her head. "But I've never felt this way about someone. I feel like if I give in I won't ever be able to let go."

"That's a part of love." Narcissa leaned back in her chair. "Terrifying, eh?"

"Yes" Hermione laughed and the blonde joined her with deep laughter.

They left the café soon. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do right now. They walked next to each other in silence, both thinking of the same woman. Hermione walked on for a couple of meters before she noticed that Naricssa had stopped. They were now in a deserted alley.

"I think this would be good place for you to apparate", Narcissa said.

"You're not going to Diagon Alley?"

"Oh, I am, but you are not", the blonde said.

Hermione was about to protest, but Narcissa cut her off.

"I'm sure she's waiting for you" the blonde said.

And so Hermione prepared herself to apparate, focusing all of her thoughts and energy on Bellatrix, not sure whether she wanted this to work or not.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm back! I can't believe it's been almost six months since I updated this story. Life has been really busy these past months. I finished up university (which was a pain in the arse) and moved (same). Now I finally have the time to write again and I cannot tell you how much I've missed it! Updates should definitely come more regularly now. For anyone who's interested, there should also be a Cissamione oneshot or short story (haven't decided yet) coming soon.

 **Drippingwithsin:** Minerva was definitely protective of Hermione and it's not that she doesn't care anymore, but this is a complicated situation for her. As you can guess, Minerva and Bellatrix have some history. Plus, she's trying to save her own arse here, really. We'll see how she'll behave in the future.

 **Dragul:** Oh God, I can't picture Narcissa with Harry. I don't what it is, but I just can't. xD

Thanks to everyone who has made suggestions for Hermione's career. I do have an idea now, but I won't give anything away ;). See you soon!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter belongs to the one and only J.K. Rowling.

* * *

 _And the arms of the ocean, so sweet and so cold_

 _And all this devotion, well, I never knew at all_

 _And the crashes are heaven for a sinner released_

 _And the arms of the ocean delivered me_

 _(Never let me go – Florence and the Machine)_

…

Thousands of eyes looked back at her from thousands of faces. Most of them were smiling, unaware of their fate. A name was written neatly next to every picture. Children, a husband or wife, an entire life was attached to each picture, but Bellatrix hadn't thought of any of that when she first received the list. All she had cared about were the letters next to each name. HB for Half-Blood, M for Mudblood. She almost laughed at the fact that there was a distinction. It wasn't like it had mattered to them. Anyone who wasn't a Pureblood was supposed to die. Anyone who was on that list.

Her eyes scanned the names. They were not sorted alphabetically or by age, but the danger they proposed to his cause. Dumbeldore was right at the top with a cross next to his name. Potter followed right after him. She breathed in sharply. Her fate lay in his hands now. Ironically. Her finger went further down the list. McGonagall, Mad Eye, mostly members of the Order. It was a couple of names before it appeared: _Granger, Hermione_ , _M_. She traced the name with the tip of her finger, carefully, as if there was a spell connected to it that could fire off any moment. And there was, to her at least. She skimmed the list again and this time she actually laughed out loud at the fact that he hadn't placed Hermione right under Potter. How would history have turned out if it hadn't been for her? Potter might have been the chosen one, but he was reckless, way too emotional and hot-headed to see something like that through. And the Weasel, well, she wasn't exactly sure what he had been on board for, but Hermione had been the reason why a lot of their adventures had succeeded, that she knew. The great Dark Lord had underestimated her girl like he had so many people.

"Voldemort", she whispered the name. "Tom." That's how he introduced himself the first time she met him. Everyone had to refer to him as Lord, _but it's Tom to you_ , he had said. He had talked to her like he had talked to the other men, like an equal, not a pretty good for nothing doll. At first she feared he was going to hit on her, but he didn't, never. Of course, by the time he first approached her, he already knew everything there was to know about her. Her talent for dueling, her thirst to prove herself, her preferences and relationships and her parents' dislike of them. He would use all of it to gain her and turn her into his best soldier. She had been nothing more than means to an end. She knew that now but back then he had made her feel valued, understood, welcomed and accepted. He possessed a lot of charm in the beginning. That got lost somewhere along the way.

She put the list back down on the pile of papers. They contained plans on how to rise to power, aims and tactics for raids, information about the Order, maps of important buildings they might need to break into at some point. If anyone thought the Death Eaters had been a bunch of lunatics running wild, they were foolish. Granted, there were a lot of douchebags among them, but the base consisted of some very misguided, but very intelligent people. She had thought about setting fire to all of this shit with one of the torches several times, but somehow she couldn't. It was as if she couldn't allow herself to forget what she had done.

She looked around the room. There were no windows, not even paintings only some runes left there by wizards and witches centuries ago. She had no idea what they meant. Runes had never been a favourite subject of hers. She much preferred actions over words.

There was no idea of time down here. There didn't need to be. One would only wait until the mark burned and know that it was safe to leave again. She traced the light lines on her wrist. Her mark would never burn again. Now she waited for Narcissa or Hermione to give her a sign, get her out of here. Hermione was the one she really wanted to appear here. She had no doubt that she could, if she wanted to. The fact that the girl had welcomed her back into her arms so easily made her feel strangely secure. It was a bit unnerving still. She wasn't one to trust easily and yet, somehow, she trusted her or at least she really wanted to. It wasn't logical, but when was love ever logical?

Love.

Earlier today, as she stripped in front of Hermione in more than one way and gave herself into her hands, the thought had occurred to her for the first time. She loved her. And maybe Hermione loved her, too. It was a surreal thought. It didn't seem possible for someone like her.

…

The fruit was sweet in her mouth with a small sour sting. She savoured the taste for a moment before she swallowed. She popped the next fruit in her mouth. Bellatrix was lying on the bed on her back with her feed in the air. She had had a glass of wine to calm her nerves and was now indulging on a bowl of cherries. She was not short of food down here. The caves had been stocked with more than enough supplies. All was magically altered to last a life time. Magic was a beautiful thing.

Crack.

The familiar sound of Apparition made Bellatrix get up and draw out her wand. She headed around the corner, keeping close to the wall. Technically she knew it couldn't be an intruder so soon, but one could become paranoid down here. Carefully she lurked around the corner into the living room.

There she was. Her lioness. Her heart skipped a beat.

She let her wand hang loosely at her side. "You're here."

"I am." The girl shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

The air was thick with tension and unspoken words. There were so many things they wanted to say, but did not know how to. And maybe that didn't matter right now because the way they looked at each other conveyed all the words. Before the moment became unbearable, Hermione's lips were on her's. Hard. Her arm snuck around her waist and held her. Tight. Hermione backed her up against the nearest wall and deepened the kiss. She felt like she was about to suffocate and if she did, she would not have minded. When air became an unfortunate necessity, they parted and rested against each other.

"I wasn't sure you would come" Bellatrix said.

"Neither was I" said Hermione.

It almost made her heart freeze over and she made to turn away, but the girl gripped her arms, holding her in place.

"But I'm here now. I am here, Bella." As if the girl could read her thoughts she added "And I won't leave."

Suspicion and doubt, however, were old friends of Bellatrix'. "You say that now. Let's see how much your word is worth, when shit gets rough."

"Like it hasn't already."

Bellatrix cackled, all too familiar. "You think it's been rough this far? Then what will you do when the Aurors come and interrogate you for hours?" She pressed herself closer to Hermione and started to reverse their roles. "What will you do when you have to see me in Azkaban chained to the wall like an animal?" Now she trapped Hermione against the wall, her wand caressing the girl's side in deceiving softness. "And above all", she whispered close to her ear, "what will you do when your beloved friends and family learn that their sweet, innocent bookworm is _fucking_ the enemy?"

Hermione gripped her jaw roughly, to her surprise, forcing her to look her straight in the eyes. "I am not afraid, Bellatrix and you won't scare me out of this, no matter how hard you try." She was being pushed aside, gently but firmly, and Hermione made to sit down on the couch.

Bellatrix was left bewildered for a second. Hermione seemed rather unimpressed by her taunting. It irritated and impressed her at the same time.

"Besides", the Gryffindor said, "we don't even know yet, whether Harry will tell someone."

Bellatrix snorted. "Oh please, I'll suck Merlin's saggy balls if he doesn't."

"I'll hold you to it, honey", Hermione smirked.

 _Honey_. Her heart fluttered.

Hermione seemed transfixed on something in the room and Bellatrix followed her gaze. She smiled. The girl had noticed the runes, of course she had. She watched as Hermione got up to the wall and traced the old signs with her fingers.

"You can read them, can't you?"

Hermione nodded. She looked at Bellatrix and studied her intensely for a while. "You hated Runes."

"Awfully boring." She yawned dramatically.

"I'm not surprised", Hermione laughed. She got cozy on the couch again while Bellatrix sat down on a big rug on the floor.

"What was your favourite subject, then?", she asked.

"Care of Magical Creatures."

"Really? That is surprising."

"Didn't think me capable of caring for someone, did you?" If the girl only knew how much she could care. She could care so goddamn much for someone who was worth it. She'd go into war all over again, burn the fucking world down for that one person. If they only showed her they cared just as much. But who would do such a thing for her?

"I did not say that", Hermione said. "But I thought you might find it beneath you to get your hands dirty."

"Oh, my hands have been plenty dirty." Bellatrix added that raspyness to her voice that turned any woman into a puddle and leaned back on her hands to watch the effect.

Blushing cheeks and fire lighting in hazel eyes. Lovely.

The girl snaked up her leg with her foot, pushing her coat aside.

"What exactly are you doing, Missy? Didn't you say we needed to talk first?"

"I did". Hermione's voice sounded dry. "We have done some talking, haven't we? And it would be an awful shame to let this", she traced the rim of her stockings," go to waste."

"Well, in that case …" and Bellatrix opened her coat and let it slide off her shoulders. She was about to get up, but Hermione's foot pressed right on her chest and stopped her.

"Remember what you asked of me earlier?"

She did and she had meant it. But it meant to trust, to open up and be vulnerable. She wanted to do all of that, but it made her terribly nervous, if not scared.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do, so you just lay back" and Hermione pushed her torso back down to the ground. The witch straddled her and rested her hand on her cheek, her thumb caressing her bottom lip. Now Bellatrix was the one blushing because she looked up at pure desire and she knew in that moment Hermione was imagining everything she was going to do to her. She could not help but tremble slightly, whether from desire or fear or both she did not know. Hermione bent down and kissed her jawline up to her ear and whispered "I won't hurt you, Bella" and she wondered how on earth this witch knew just what to say and she pulled her to her by her hair for a deep kiss that spoke of delightful surrender. Lingerie, as gorgeous as it was, became a disturbance and vanished with a quick spell.

Hermione moved down her body with countless kisses as if to make sure not to miss a single spot on her skin and the dark witch winded underneath her like a true Slytherin. She arched off the bed as the young witch caressed the curve of her waist with her tongue. It had been decades since someone had loved her so attentive. The gentleness with which Hermione handled her sent her body and mind into long forgotten heights; she could barely stand it. She was brought out of sweet bliss when the attack of kisses suddenly stopped and Bellatrix had to open her eyes to see if, maybe, she had just been dreaming.

The witch was looking at her scars. Apparently, she had forgotten to heal some of them. Even though she was the one lying down, Bellatrix managed to look down on the girl, haughtily, proposing a challenge to love her, _all_ of her. The witch accepted it in the most unexpected way because never ever had someone placed kisses on her scars, one by one. The act spoke of so much devotion and acceptance it choked Bellatrix' throat and watered her eyes.

The witch drove her tongue up her thighs, stopping every now and then to bite down on soft flesh. She did it with a combination of gentleness and firmness that only she could perform, Bellatrix was sure. And when the witch got close to her goal, her hands flew up to her face to cover unbearable anticipation because what was about to happen was so much more intimate than any form of fucking could ever be. When the witch pressed the flat of her tongue on that spot, she lost it and anticipation was released with a primal moan. Her sounds were nothing like they were the other night. They were high and soft and yet tortured and anyone who thought they didn't fit her, didn't know her. Shaking hips met firm strokes, hands reached out searching and finding their match to hold onto as pleasure ripped her apart.

Another set of clothes was shed, cores pressed together and Bellatrix held onto her lover for dear life. She fisted her hair with one hand and digged the nails of the other into young skin, marking territory. And all the while the witch shook her in every way possible there was only one thought screaming in her head.

 _I love you. Goddamn it, I love you._

If she could have sewed every cell of her body to Hermione's she would have.

When waves subsided and heartbeats went back to a normal pace, she looked up to the woman above her and then, in that moment, something changed between them. For the first time Bellatrix truly let her see her. Her face was wide open. There was no arrogance, no villain, just Bellatrix. And Hermione knew then that the dark witch could also take her dominance, her rawness and devotion when she needed her to. And Bellatrix knew that the young witch could also take her submissiveness, her vulnerability and weakness when she needed her to.

They fell in love with every bit of the other.

* * *

 **A/N:** Originally this chapter was going to be a lot longer, but I couldn't bear to ruin this moment with the more difficult times that lie ahead, so I left it at that. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it.

GryphonLu: The only character whose sexual orientation we know for sure is Dumbeldore and you know, I always go by "queer until proven straight", so … ;) Obviously, I take great freedom with Hermione's character here, but oh well. But I totally get it. I was so excited when I found all of these wonderful Bellamione stories. Especially since that is a quite peculiar pairing ;)


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Well, here it is. My God, this chapter was such a pain in the ass to get done. I have such bad writer's block with this story it's not even funny. Partly because I've started another story and I can't really focus on both at the same time. I either immerse myself in one or the other. But I'm also not sure where I want to take this. I have the next steps planned, but I don't know how I want the story to _end_ and at this point it's making me nervous. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

 _I am alone at a crossroads_

 _I'm not at home in my own home_

 _(Listen – Beyoncé)_

…

The house stood tall in the middle of wide fields, a point of reference like a lighthouse in the stormy see, unshakeable no matter what the years threw at it. Unshakeable much like the family who lived inside of it; a family she was a part of or used to be a part of. She was wondering whether she was going to lose the right to call them that. It certainly didn't feel like coming home as she approached the Burrow, a nerve-racking anxiety running through her body.

"Homenum Revelio."

Two balls of light floated from her wand and towards the house. One came to settle around the kitchen area, the other one where the living room was. She walked closer, pressed her back against the wall and crept on till she could peek into the house. Harry was sitting on the sofa, his hands folded in front of his face as if in prayer. In the kitchen she could see Ginny preparing tea. Hermione relaxed. He had not lied. There were no Aurors.

The door wasn't locked and when she entered Harry only said a small _hello_ , but did not look at her. Hermione sat down opposite him and Ginny joined them with three cups of tea and a jug of milk. She could have done with something stronger. This was going to be a make or break conversation.

The silence was insufferable. There were so many questions to be asked and answers to be given that no one knew where to begin. Ginny was the first one to break the ice. "So", she started, "one of you will have to start talking if you wanna resolve this. Besides, I have practice later on and I don't wanna be late."

Hermione admired her friend's never wavering dedication for Quidditch. This place could be in flames and she would only want to put them out so she wouldn't miss practice.

Harry cleared his throat. "So, the coward wouldn't come, eh?", he asked bitterly.

"Come on, Harry", Hermione sighed, ignoring the insult. "You didn't really expect her to, did you?"

Harry's Patronus had woken them up a couple of hours ago, asking to talk to her _and_ Bellatrix. Hermione had shaken her had at Harry's display of dramatic, boyish demands. Bellatrix had laughed out loud and gone back to her breakfast.

They both returned to silence.

"Alright", Ginny drawled, "not exactly polite, honey, but it's a start …", she rolled her hand, asking them to keep going.

"Fine", Harry continued, "how long have you been … _together_?", the tone of the last word showing that he still couldn't fathom the reality of the situation.

"Just a couple of weeks", she answered. It sounded weird, because she felt like she had known this woman much longer. It also felt like a lie. Her infatuation started long before they actually met.

"I don't get", Harry shook his head. "You are the most desirable bachelorette in the country. You could date _anyone._ "

"I didn't plan for this to happen, Harry! I never meant to fall in love with her, I just _did_."

Harry's face displayed the slow transition from utter disbelief to confusion. "You mean to tell me you're _in love_ with Bellatrix Lestrange? That's impossible. There's nothing to love about someone like her."

"Well, I'm sorry to crash your little 'good guy'-'bad guy'-world, but there is." Sometimes talking to Harry could still be like talking to that fifteen-year-old boy that believed the world to be split into good guys and death eaters.

He turned red, balling his right hand into a fist. "Oh really? What exactly is it that you love so much about her? Her racist attitudes? Her former employee? Or is it her rather impressive management of all three Unforgivables?"

She huffed sarcastically. As if she didn't know all that. Did he really believe her naïve enough not to know who she was getting involved with?

"You yourself fell victim to her wrath! Have you forgotten how she scared you with that insult?" He took her arm and pulled up the sleeve of her sweater only to come to face with a piece of unblemished skin.

"She healed it", Hermione answered his questioning gaze. "The knife was cursed. Only she could heal it." She decided to leave out the part that required the mixture of her and Bellatrix' blood. She figured it might not help her case right now.

"Why would she do that?", Harry wondered. "That makes no sense."

"Maybe not to you, but you don't know her the way I do, Harry. There's more to her than meets the eye."

"How so?", Ginny asked and it was one of these moments where Hermione was incredibly grateful for her friend's nonjudgmental nature.

"Well, besides the fact that she's ridiculously gorgeous", Hermione started, ignoring Harry rolling his eyes, "she is smart, fierce and I love how intuitive and passionate she is." She paused and tried to find the words for a feeling that was so difficult to grasp. "She just gets me. She knows how to pull me out of my shell and I can just _be_ when I'm with her. I think she really likes me being my brainy, logical know-it-all self. We complement each other. I don't know", she shrugged, "it's difficult to explain."

"Sounds like love to me" Ginny said, smiling. Her sister in mind had been desperately trying to hook her up for the last couple of years, unable to see her best friend so lonely. Now that it happened, she didn't seem to care who it was.

Harry sighed, ran his hand through his hair and Hermione interpreted it as a gesture of surrender. She hit his weak spot: love. It was difficult to oppose that.

"She murdered my Godfather", he reminded her though.

"I know." There was no denying Bellatrix' deeds.

"How can you see past that?"

"I don't think I do. I've just learned that, like everyone else, she has a history that led her to become the person she became, do the things she did."

"I don't care about her history. It's not an excuse!"

"You're right, it's not, but it's an explanation. She has changed, Harry and I truly believe people who are willing to change deserve a second chance. And", she hesitated, unsure whether she should really say this, "well, to be honest, I'm also being selfish for once. She makes me happy and I want that happiness for myself."

Harry could only nod. Hermione was sure he was aware of what he had asked of Ron and her for the last couple of years. Yes, they were best friends and had wanted to help him and still sometimes the fact that everything always revolved around him put a strain on their friendship. He could not blame them for pursuing their own happiness for once.

"I understand that. And I want you to be happy. You deserve it. I just wish it would have been with someone else, but I guess we can't choose who we fall for.", Harry said. He put his hands on his eyes, rubbing them, then slowly ran them down his face. "This is going to be a nightmare, Hermione. How are you going to tell Ron, Molly?"

"For once Mom thought she had mastered a great spell and now this", Ginny commented and all three of them couldn't help but smirk.

"You're awful", Harry nudged her. "Your sarcasm isn't always appropriate, you know."

"Just trying to lighten up the mood", Ginny winked. "But really, how _are_ you going to tell them?"

"I didn't exactly plan to tell them any time soon."

Ginny and Harry looked both confused and concerned. "How exactly is that going to work?", Ginny asked.

"People will have to know that …" Harry started but Hermione interrupted him.

"So you _are_ going to tell the Aurors?!", she almost screamed, panic written all over her face.

"That's not what I meant!" Harry held up his hands, asking her to calm down. "I won't tell them about her. Not for her", he stressed, "but for you. I promise you that and you know I keep my promises."

"Thank you", she whispered for she knew what she was asking of him.

"So, what I meant was how do you plan to continue? Are you going to hide your relationship forever?"

She swallowed hard. "I haven't exactly thought about that", she admitted.

"Who thought that day would come" Ginny laughed.

Hermione couldn't laugh. They had brought something to her attention she really hadn't considered. Bellatrix and she had been so wrapped up in working out their emotions these past weeks that they hadn't thought about how this was supposed to work if they actually gave each other a chance.

"I have to go", she said suddenly and got up.

"You're going to her?", Ginny asked.

"Yeah", she answered in a trance.

"Where has she been living anyway?", Harry asked.

She didn't answer, didn't really hear him as she was running on autopilot. She needed to talk to her, to solve this. It unnerved her that they hadn't thought about this. An undefined fear took over her, a fear that Bellatrix might chicken out last minute at the struggle that might come.

"You don't trust me, do you?", Harry asked in disappointment.

"I couldn't tell you where she was if I wanted to. She's in a hiding place that was built during the first war. I can apparate there, but I don't know where it's located."

"Hiding place? The Death Eaters had hiding places? They're still intact? Hermione, …."

"Harry, another time maybe. I don't even know much about it. Anyway, I really have to go now." She was almost out the door when Harry called her name once more.

"You're always welcomed here, Hermione", he told her and it was never more appreciated.

…

Silence had never been so torturous. No spark of fire, no paper scattered about, not a single crease in the sheets that would suggest that this place had ever been inhabited. It was the place where her dreams had come true only a couple of hours ago and now it had turned into the place where they were shattered.

She was gone.

…

Three. Two. One. She knocked on the door for the third and final time. If they didn't open now she would have to do what Umbridge did to the Room of Requirement and she really didn't care about the consequences right now. Luckily the door did open and Hermione stepped inside without much thought.

"Bellatrix?" she called out. There was no response, but she heard noises from upstairs that hopefully belonged to the Black sisters. "Bellatrix? Narcissa?", her voice echoed from those noble walls as she walked up the staircase. She was stopped by a squeaky voice halfway. She turned around and saw who had actually led her in.

"Lilly has to ask Miss to wait down here in the foyer", the house-elf pleaded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Lilly", Hermione said and continued her way up.

"It is really not a good time to disturb Master and Mistress Malfoy!", the elf stressed.

"Yes, well the royal couple will have to endure it" she said mockingly. "These women have been testing my nerves for too damn long with their games" she muttered.

As she walked towards the source of the noise she could make out Narcissa's and, unfortunately not Bellatrix', but Lucius' voice. Where on earth was the witch?

"I am the master of the house, Narcissa! I will only leave over my dead body."

"You have quite the nerve. I decorated this house, I filled it with love and laughter, _I_ made this house a home. If anyone's going to be leaving it's you!" Narcissa's voice rang from inside the study more shrill than Hermione had ever heard it.

Lucius Malfoy was standing with his back towards her as she walked into the office, not noticing her.

"Narcissa, don't you dare" he growled, but his wife only laughed. He moved quickly out of the way and Hermione saw something golden spiraling toward her. She ducked last minute, realizing that she just walked in on one huge marital fight as an ancient lamp came to shatter on the banister behind her.

"Oh thank Salazar, I've been so anxious to hear from either one of you", Narcissa said out of breath and brushed a strand of hair away that had loosened from her bun in the heat of the argument.

"What is _she_ doing in my home?", Lucius demanded to know, but both women ignored him.

"Either one of us?" Hermione's heart just dropped from her chest into her stomach. "Please don't tell me she's not here", she pleaded with closed eyes. This couldn't be true.

"Well, she's not. I haven't heard anything from her since your Patronus."

"Would someone care to enlighten me as to what is going on here?", Lucius asked his wife who dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"I assumed the two of you were together in her hiding place, were you not?"

"We were, but then I left to talk to Harry and when I came back she was gone." Hermione nervously brushed a hand through her hair. The fact that not even Narcissa knew where Bellatrix was made her feel very uneasy.

"Did something happen? Did you fight?", the blonde asked.

"No, everything was fine. Even the conversation with Harry went quite well. God, I thought we could finally be together and now this."

"You've got to be joking", Lucius drawled, his lips twisting into a somewhat disgusted smirk as he was connecting the dots. "I always knew she was completely bonkers, but to think she's a filth-fucking dyke."

Narcissa's face turned into an image of pure, cold hatred and Hermione knew that if Malfoy ever had any chance of saving his marriage, he just fucked it up royally. "You will have the divorce papers on Monday", she said with a tone of ice. "Now get out of my house."

Lucius left without further resistance, realizing that he lost this fight, at least for today.

"Ok, let's go searching for her then", Hermione suggested determined.

"Pointless", Narcissa replied, "she could be anywhere." The older witch took out her wand. "Expecto Patronum", she said and easily conjured a beautiful Siamese Cat. "Go and find Bellatrix. Tell her to get her sorry ass back here right now."

The two women went into the living room where they were served a cup of tea by Lilly. There wasn't anything they could do but wait. Hermione stared into the flames of the fire place, completely lost in thought. Her mind was occupied with only one question. What if something happened to Bellatrix? What if she was captured? Technically she knew Harry would keep his promise but fear made her paranoid.

"Nothing happened to her", Narcissa said out of the blue.

"Are you reading my mind?"

"It is hard not to given how loud you're thinking", the blonde smiled.

"How can you be so sure?", Hermione wondered.

"My sister is a force to be reckoned with. You don't just simply capture her within a few hours. And if Potter keeps his word, then there isn't even a real threat."

"Then why did she leave?"

"She's scared, I guess. She probably just assumed Potter would notify the Aurors. So did I to be honest."

That made sense because Hermione knew had it been anyone else asking him to cover for Bellatrix, he would have refused.

The sky had turned from blue over orange to crimson when the clicking of boots echoed through the manor. Hermione's and Narcissa's heart beats quickened in hope to see one dark witch appearing.

"Well well, if that wasn't the rudest Patronus I have ever seen." Bellatrix, in all her dark glory, leaned casually in the door frame. "Such filthy words from such a pretty pussy." She smirked toward her sister.

Narcissa was not amused. "How can you frighten me like that? You could have let me known what you were up to", she said, looking like she was about to slap her.

"Alright, Mum", Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

Before Narcissa could say anything Hermione rushed past her and embraced the dark witch. "I was so afraid you wouldn't come back", she whispered into her ear.

"Sorry, pet. I didn't mean to scare you." Bellatrix placed a kiss on Hermione's head.

"Belle", Narcissa interrupted the couple, "are those _trousers_ you're wearing?"

"Yup, more precisely jeans if I'm not mistaken." She looked to Hermione for confirmation.

"Do I even wanna know how you got them?", the young witch asked.

"No, you don't", Bellatrix said a little too seriously.

"Oh God, what did you do?" Hermione prayed the witch hadn't gotten herself into trouble. You never knew with someone like Bellatrix.

"Relax, no one died" she said.

"Oh good, now that's a relief", Narcissa chimed in.

"Well, I couldn't stay in my dress for several days, could I? Cleaning charms can only do so much. I was starting to smell like aunt Walburga. And those jeans look rather good on me, don't you think, pet?" Bellatrix ran her hands over her hips and down her thighs to underline her point.

Hermione's gaze followed her movements, her curves. "Yeah, very good", she could only agree, her voice several octaves higher.

"Alright, enough of that, you lovebirds", Narcissa interrupted the moment.

The three women settled in the living room with Hermione sitting on Bellatrix' lap. While Narcissa insisted on Bellatrix telling every detail about her little run off, Hermione drifted off. She leaned back into the dark witch and let herself be surrounded by wine and cinnamon, the scent that was so uniquely Bellatrix. She didn't hear much of the conversation until Bella yawned. "Let's go to bed. It's been a hell of a couple of days", she said and nudged her to get up.

Hermione did so only reluctantly, wondering where she was supposed to go. She couldn't stay in Malfoy Manor. Could she go back to the Burrow; did she even want to?

"I'd be happy to have you here, Hermione", the younger sister said.

"Narcissa, you really don't have to." Hermione blushed. It seemed she was an open book to the blonde.

"No, I don't, but I want to. You're a part of my sister's life now and that makes you a part of mine. So please stay if you want to."

It was an offer, a statement, Hermione hadn't expected from someone like Narcissa, but she appreciated it greatly.

In that night Hermione pulled Bella up close and held on to her. Darkness had long fallen and the witch should have been asleep, but the racing heart beneath her hands told Hermione she wasn't. She was wide awake.

"What did he say?", Bellatrix asked, voice so low it was barely audible. "How much time do we have?"

Hermione tightened her grip on her, kissed her hair and whispered "We have all the time in the world, babe. He promised not to tell anyone."

Bellatrix spun around in a second. "Can he be trusted? He could be tricking you."

Hermione shook her head. "He's not like that. If he was going to turn you in, he would be upfront about it."

Bellatrix relaxed a bit and pulled her in for a kiss. "You're safe with me" Hermione breathed against her lips and she meant every worth of it. As she drifted off into sleep she promised herself to protect the happiness she had found.


End file.
